Corps Review Spring 2017

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW

Spring 2017, Vol. 27, No. 2

CONTENTS Alumni Spotlights 4 Mike Swain ’65 Life Comes Full Circle

10 Taylor P. Jones ’90

A Law Enforcement Career Offers an Opportunity to See the World

42 Maj. Stanley Cohen ’49, ’51 remembered

He loved aircraft, Virginia Tech, the Corps of Cadets, engineering, his American Volunteer Group jacket, story-telling, friends, and family.

Features 8 “Cadet Earns Schwarzman Scholarship for Graduate Study in China” Cadet Paul Grey Weissend ’17 earns the prestigious award inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship.

26 “Focus on Philanthropy”

Deborah Tillotson ’78, ’87 credits her success to her education and gives back to inspire the next generation of engineers and to enable others to have similar Virginia Tech experiences.

Photos 16 20 30 41 49

Fall Events Hokie Heroes Upper Quad Update Winter and Spring Events Alumni in Service

Departments

2 Alumni Announcements 14 Commandant’s Column 18 VPI Battalion 21 Chairman’s Column 23 Quad-Angle 28 Museum Curator 31 Recruiting Update 32 Army ROTC News 34 Naval ROTC News 36 Air Force ROTC News 38 Philanthropy 47 Honor Guard E Company cadets continue their tradition of guarding the pylons during Veteran’s Day.

Follow the Corps on social media: • Facebook: CVTCC and VTCCA • Twitter: @vtcorpsofcadets • Instagram: @vtcorpsofcadets and @vtgrowley

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The Corps Review is published three times a year by the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni Inc. (VTCCA) in cooperation with University Relations.

Alumni

J. Pearson ’87, Chairman, VTCCA Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, Commandant of Cadets Col. Patience Larkin ’87, Alumni Director Shay Barnhart, Communications Director and Editor Juliet Crichton, Copy Editor David Stanley VT‘95, Art Director Sandi R. Bliss, Chief Advancement Officer H. Pat Artis VT’71; Ivan Morozov; Noah Autry of Virginia Tech Athletics, Shay Barnhart; Kathy Fullhart; Randal Fullhart; Bradley Larkin; Patience Larkin ’87; Morgan Frazier ’17; Stevens Photography of Christiansburg, Virginia; Photography Comments and all material for the magazine should be mailed to Editor, Corps Review, VTCC Alumni Office (0213); 141 Lane Hall, Virginia Tech; 280 Alumni Mall; Blacksburg, VA 24061. Persons wishing to reprint any portion of the contents of Corps Review must contact the editor for permission. © 2017, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Corps Review can be accessed online at www.vtcc.vt.edu/corpsreview Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. Anyone having questions concerning any of those regulations should contact the Office of Equity and Access.

Front and back covers: Members of the fall 2016 regimental staff are, from left, Tiffany Borden ’17, Aiden Hughes ’17, Nikkole Lenardson ’17, Mike Schoka ’17, Chris Hintz ’17, Daniel Wallace ’17, Judith Skinker ’17, and Nicholas Massella ’18.

Correction: In the Fall 2016 edition, William L. Smith ’65, of Henrico, Virginia, an architecture major, mistakenly was listed as deceased. Mr. Smith sent in a letter to let us know he is doing well and would like all his friends to know the same. We do regret to let you know that Mr. William L. Smith ’65, of Clintwood, Virginia, an agriculture major, died in May 2016.

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Ut Prosim in Action: A Saber and More A picture of a Corps of Cadets saber in a previous Corps Review edition inspired Raymond F. Burmester ’56 to donate his saber to the Corps of Cadets in July 2016. Burmester came to Virginia Tech in 1952 at age 16 and received a $500 state scholarship for financial need. He has expressed his gratitude by

establishing an extensive endowment for scholarships for seniors at Northumberland High School in Heathsville, Virginia. Seventy-five students have attended college with financial assistance from one of his scholastic achievement scholarships started in 1997. Twelve of them studied at Virginia Tech.

Corps Museum: A Six-Month Checkup

By Samantha Riggin VT’16, Corps museum curator As I wrap up my first six months as museum items into context, and they unthe museum curator for the Corps of Ca- derscore the achievements of our alumni. dets, I would like to thank everyone for My current focus is on interviewing their assistance and donations. Receiving Corps alumni who served in World War everything from yearbooks to World War II, capturing their stories and relating II war trophies has been both amazing them to today’s cadets before they are and necessary to produce exhibits that lost forever. In addition, I am interested will best tell the Corps’ story. in talking with any former cadets willing Corps alumni, please consider alto share their experiences — especially lowing me to produce a video interview those who live within a day’s drive of the about your time at Virginia Tech and Blacksburg campus. your life afterward. The preservation If you’re interested, please feel free to of your histories enables me and future contact me at samsales@vt.edu or 540curators to back up the storied objects 231-8807. I’ll come to you with camera within our collection with real-life in hand! details. These interviews help to put

Announcements Class Champions to Return to Blacksburg We are planning a first-time Class Champions Conclave April 28-29 on campus. All class champions from the ’50s through today will be invited to attend the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni Board meeting. Afterward, they will break off for updates on the university, the Corps, and the new University Advancement division, followed by a tour of Pearson Hall and dinner that

evening at the Farmhouse Restaurant.

The group will be invited to attend the Corps’ change of command ceremony the following day on the Drillfield. More details will be sent out via email. If you are in the classes of ’95 or ’03, let Col. Patience Larkin know at patience@vt.edu if you are interested in becoming your classes’ representative. Those years still need a rep.

Upcoming Events • March 24: Class of 2018 Ring Dance • April 15: Caldwell March (please visit vtcc.vt.edu/give/caldwell-march. html to sponsor a cadet!)

• April 22: Spring Football Game and Ut Prosim Weekend • April 28: Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni Board meeting and Class Champions Conclave event • April 29: Change of command ceremony and Highty-Tighty Alumni Board Meeting • May 1: 2017 home football game tickets for the Corps’ alumni row go on sale. To purchase, contact phosner@vt.edu.

• Sept. 23: 2017 Corps Reunion for the Old Dominion football game

Hokie Gold Legacy Program Virginia Tech alumni or their families can bequeath or donate their class rings, which either are melted down to create Hokie Gold to be included in the class rings of the next junior class or retained for future display. To continue the program in perpetuity, a small amount of Hokie Gold will be reserved from each year’s melt to be included in the following year’s Hokie Gold melting for the next class.

Hokie Gold Legacy Program questions can be directed to Laura Wedin at 540-231-6285 or lwedin@vt.edu. You can learn about how to donate a ring, tax deductions, and shipping instructions at alumni.vt.edu/hokiegold.

• Oct. 21: 2017 Highty-Tighty Reunion and University Homecoming for the North Carolina football game

Passing the Baton The position of editor of the Corps Review passed this fall from Alumni Director Col. (Ret) Patience Larkin ’87 to our new communications director, Shay Barnhart. She comes to us from Virginia Tech’s University Relation’s staff and, before that, many years of working as a reporter, page designer, and editor at newspapers around the country. We are happy to have her on board and know she will take our communications efforts to a higher level.

Keep Us in the Loop As you move or change duty stations throughout your career, make sure you continue to get the Corps Review and other updated university and Corps of Cadets information. Update your address, email, and phone number and let us know about any name or rank changes at alumni.vt.edu/gateway/index.html or by email alumnidata@vt.edu. If you have any questions, please contact the Corps alumni office at phosner@vt.edu.

Social Media Follow us on Instagram. @vtcorpsofcadets Stay up-to-date with the Corps of Cadets. We’re on Twitter. @vtcorpsofcadets

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Alumnus Spotlight Virginia Tech Adjunct Instructor Mike Swain ’65 (front, fourth from left) assists during a 2007 study abroad program in Japan.

Life Comes Full Circle

By Mike Swain ’65 On a Saturday in mid-November 2004, my wife, Janey, and I were on a walk through Yoyogi Park, just a block from our apartment in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward. It was a gorgeous autumn morning in Tokyo.

Bright yellow gingko tree leaves were falling and had completely carpeted the ground.

Because of my busy travel schedule, our walks were great opportunities for some “talk time,” and on this particular morning, we had a lot to talk about. A month earlier, I had submitted my formal request to retire. My nearly 40-year career with global aluminum giant Alcoa would soon be coming to an end. With mixed emotions, we would be leaving Tokyo after calling it “home” for the past five years.

There is a line from a Japanese poem about the “circle of life” that struck a chord with me as I contemplated retirement: “Be like the leaf in a Japanese Garden. Fall gracefully when your time comes to let go. Trust in the Circle. To end is to begin.”

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I had joined Alcoa in early January 1966, just three weeks after my December graduation from Virginia Tech. But now, after a long and successful career, it was time to let go. I had other things I wanted to do — start my own business and teach at the university level — and the clock was ticking.

A few weeks after I submitted my retirement notification, something interesting happened. Alcoa offered me a consulting contract on a large project for Alcoa Australia, to start upon my retirement. After we moved back to the United States, I built up a small consulting practice, using the Alcoa contract as a base. Just like that, my own business was born: The Swain Company LLC. “Trust in the Circle.”

An important blind date Janey and I met in the spring of our sophomore year in college — May 1, 1963, to be exact. I was a Citizen-Leader Track cadet (in today’s terminology) in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, meaning I was not pursuing a military commission. I proudly wore the “Blue 1” patch on my sleeve as a member of the winning Eager Squad competition from the previous spring.

On this day, I was with a group of

Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park was a few blocks from Mike and Janey Swain’s home in Japan.

cadet classmates, one of whom had a girlfriend at what is now Wedding day, Dec. 18, 1965 Radford University. She had After Pittsburgh came five moves in arranged blind dates for the rest of us.

20 years: Rochester, New York; Chicago; When we picked up our dates in the Longview, Texas; St. Louis; Missouri; lobby of the dorm, I was smitten by a and Cleveland, Ohio. I held positions in cute, dark-haired girl by the name of engineering, sales, product management, Janey Bonwell. The problem was, we production management, and marketing had each been paired with someone else. management.

Later, at a party, I “engineered” a switch In the mid 1980s, in St. Louis, I was so that I ended up with Janey for the Alcoa’s corporate account manager at the rest of the evening. We started dating McDonald Aircraft Company, the prime seriously after summer break, and we’ve contractor on the F-15, F-18, and AV-8B been together ever since. We attended aircraft programs back in the heyday of Ring Dance in the spring of 1964 and their production. That job led to a probecame engaged that October, in the fall motion to business unit headquarters in of our senior year.

Cleveland in 1986, where I became marJaney graduated from Radford in keting manager for aircraft and aerospace June 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in components. A year later, I was named education. I graduated from Virginia vice president and global commercial Tech that December with a bachelor’s manager for Alcoa’s transportation comdegree in mechanical engineering. We ponents business in Cleveland. were married three days later.

As a 21-year-old “kid” leaving BlacksMy first assignment at Alcoa was as burg back in 1965, I never thought that an engineer in a manufacturing plant one day I would be traveling the globe, outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where we were making aluminum doing business in 35 countries and in charge of all commercial activities for components for the 2.75-inch Foldingwhat was almost a billion-dollar business.

Fin Aerial Rocket for the Vietnam War. There was no question that an engineerFrom there, I moved to the powder diviing degree from Virginia Tech opened sion, which supplied atomized alumithe door for me at Alcoa and helped num powder for solid rocket propellant me develop the problem-solving skills for the space program. While in Pittsneeded to succeed in a major corporaburgh, I attended night school classes at The University of Pittsburgh, culminattion. The Corps taught me self-discipline and provided leadership training that ing in an MBA in 1972.

Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island outside of Hiroshima.

facilitated my rise through the management ranks.

Along the way, Janey and I had three children, each born in a different state and thus each claiming a different “hometown.” I couldn’t get any of them to go to Virginia Tech, but they have all done pretty well in spite of this serious shortcoming. Two made it through medical school and are now practicing physicians; one achieved a graduate degree in literature and is a fantastic writer and a super-mom. All three are married and each has three children, which works out to a total of nine grandkids.

A move to Tokyo Back in 1999 in Cleveland, as a business unit vice president in a Fortune 100 company with 34 years of service, I was pleased with what I had achieved up to that point in my career. On the home front, our children were all grown and out on their own (or finishing medical school) and were all doing well.

Janey and I were back where we started —just the two of us (life is a circle!). Janey was established in our small suburban community of Hudson, Ohio, and was active in our church and several other community organizations.

We also were enjoying the three nearby grandchildren we had at the time. So, as we began the year 2000, we were both in that “life is good” mode. That’s when I

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The Swain’s 50th wedding anniversary, Emerald Isle, North Carolina, July 2015.

should have seen it coming.

A few weeks after the start of the new year, I would arrive home from work one evening, asking Janey to sit down, pouring her a glass of chardonnay, and seeing the look of shock on her face, as I said, “How’d you like to move to Tokyo?”

It was definitely my fault. I had led a project team that ended up proposing, as a solution to problems we had achieving targeted market share in Japan, that rather than continuing to export to Japan, we should follow the Japanese model and become a domestic producer there. In other words, our team recommended that Alcoa create a new Japanese subsidiary company and build a manufacturing plant “in country,” just as the Japanese do with automotive plants in the U.S. A few days after our proposal and request for funding, I received an email from Alcoa’s CEO, Paul O’Neill (who later became secretary of the treasury under President George W. Bush), that said: “Tell me again, in two sentences or less, why we need to do this.” I did, and a couple of days later, the project was approved. A few days after that, they asked me to move to Tokyo to manage the start up of the new business and run the company as its first president. At a time when most people our age were planning their retirement, Janey and I started mak-

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ing plans to move 7,000 miles away to the Land of the Rising Sun. We loved our life in Japan. We traveled the country at every opportunity, seeing places like Matsushima and Hakone; the shrines and temples of Kyoto, Nara, Kamakura, and Nikko; and the picturesque Itsukushima Shrine and the Peace Museum in Hiroshima, to name a few. We climbed Mount Fuji, stayed for a weekend at a Buddhist Monastery in Kyushu, enjoyed many onsen (hot springs), took an overnight ferry from Tokyo to Hokkaido and went fly fishing in the mountains, joined a hiking club and hiked dozens of trails outside Tokyo, played golf with Japanese friends, and stayed in ryokans (Japanese inns) whenever we could.

Mike and Janey Swain immersed in the Japanese culture.

Alcoa provided cultural training for us before we moved and arranged for ongoing language lessons. When we arrived, we immersed ourselves in the culture and the language. We wanted to become truly “bi-cultural” as opposed to living in an “American expatriate community cocoon” as we saw so many expatriates do. We also had to adjust from a life spent mostly in suburbia to life in one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Greater Tokyo is home to over 36 million people. We moved there from a town of 22,000.

We adapted, and we ended up thriving. We became as comfortable in Tokyo as we had been back in Hudson, Ohio.

Tokyo became “home.” When it came time to leave, Alcoa offered “re-entry” counseling before our return to the States — and we needed it.

A dream opportunity The idea that life is a circle and every ending a beginning is a religious and philosophical concept deeply rooted in the Japanese psyche. I can think of no better personal illustration of this concept than the story of how I was able to fulfill another dream of mine: to teach at the university level.

One day, early in my time in Japan, I received an email from a Virginia Tech professor, Rich Wokutch. He had been searching for Hokie alumni in Japan through the Virginia Tech Alumni As-

sociation. In an email, he explained that he was organizing a study abroad trip to Japan for Virginia Tech students and needed “boots on the ground” to help with visits to local businesses and with logistics and language. I readily agreed to help, happy to have an opportunity to “give back” to my alma mater. Throughout the rest of my tour in Japan, working with Wokutch and his study abroad co-leader, Professor Devi Gnyawali, I was able to assist with several Asia trips.

Not long after I retired and moved back to Hudson, Ohio, Wokutch, who was now the head of the Department of Management at the Pamplin College of Business, let me know that he had a teaching position opening up in the future in the regular MBA program in Blacksburg. He asked me if I would be interested, and I jumped at the chance to fulfill a dream. After being away for over 40 years, I would be returning to the classroom in Blacksburg. I had come full circle!

I became an adjunct instructor in the Department of Management. In fall

2007, I taught a full-time MBA program class in international management. I also was able to return to Japan with 18 students as an assistant on a study abroad trip. From 2011 to 2013, I taught a capstone course called Global Strategic Management in the professional MBA program. In addition, I’ve given over 40 guest lectures in other graduate and undergraduate classes at Virginia Tech, Case Western, and Kent State.

My teaching days ended with changes in Virginia Tech’s MBA program in 2014, but I remain active on the “guest lecture” circuit and continue to do some consulting. These activities, along with an active family (did I mention the nine grandchildren?) and interests in travel, fishing, golf, and hiking that I share with my wife, combine to keep me pretty busy in so-called “retirement.”

The ending of my Alcoa career launched more than a few “beginnings” for me. And I certainly learned to “Trust in the Circle.”

Teeing off in front of Mount Fuji.

A beautiful Tokyo skyline.

Virginia Tech study abroad group visiting Toyota headquarters in Toyota City, Japan (Mike Swain, front row, 5th from left).

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Cadet Paul Grey Weissend ’17

Cadet Earns Schwarzman Scholarship for Graduate Study in China

By Sookhan Ho, Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Cadet Paul Grey Weissend ’17 has been selected as a Schwarzman Scholar, an international award for graduate study in China that was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship.

Weissend is a senior in the Honors College majoring in finance with minors in international business and leadership from the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets’ Rice Center for Leader Development.

He was among more than 2,700 candidates from 119 countries who competed for 129 spots in the 2018 class of the program, established by Stephen A. Schwarzman, the chairman, CEO, and co-founder of leading investment firm Blackstone.

Aimed at preparing the next generation of global leaders, the program gives students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and professional networks through a one-year master’s degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

“I am incredibly excited to further challenge myself in a country that is absolutely foreign to me,” said Weissend, who has long been interested in business and entrepreneurship.

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In high school, he founded a company to buy electronic accessories from China wholesale and resell them on eBay and Amazon. Coordinating with companies like Alibaba, he realized he needed to acquire a deeper understanding of China to be a successful leader.

At Virginia Tech, Weissend serves as chief investment officer of SEED, a student group that manages $5 million for the Virginia Tech Foundation through stock investments.

His work experience includes summer internships as an analyst at J.P. Morgan in New York City and GE Capital in Norwalk, Connecticut.

In the Corps, Weissend served as first sergeant of Delta Company and protocol officer of the VPI Citizen-Leader Track Battalion.

He spent the last spring in Europe as one of the university’s Presidential Global Scholars, conducting research on the refugee crisis. The Presidential Global Scholars program is a collaborative, transdisciplinary living-learning community in which ambitious honors students and

their professors work in tandem with the resources and opportunities in Europe to create an environment that allows the students to better understand the world and what they might accomplish in it.

Weissend’s research team, which included three other Virginia Tech students, interviewed refugees at a camp in Calais, France, and at a temporary stay center in Melilla, Spain. Weissend focused on entrepreneurs and their business development within the camps. His project culminated in an essay he wrote on microfinancing for refugees.

His travels in Europe intensified his desire to see and understand more of the world.

“Learning what drives people from different cultures is vital to helping affect world progress,” said Weissend.

His ultimate goal is to facilitate crossborder business development and collaboration. He said he hopes to use his banking and entrepreneurial background and his Schwarzman Scholar experience to encourage investment and overcome cultural and political hurdles.

Join us online!

We’re trying something new. The summer 2017 edition of Corps Review will be published online at

vtcc.vt.edu/corpsreview.

We’ll provide you with your regular paper edition this fall.

Moving the summer edition of the magazine online helps us reduce production costs and gives us ways to provide you more updates about the Corps and your buds.

If you are unable to access the magazine online and require a printed copy, please email phosner@vt.edu and include your name and address.

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Alumnus Spotlight

Taylor Jones, second from right, and other International Contract Corruption Task Force agents work at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, in 2013.

A Law Enforcement Career Offers an Opportunity to See the World

By Taylor P. Jones ’90 In 1986, I applied and was accepted to Virginia Tech, whereupon I entered F Company in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. For me it was just a foregone conclusion that I’d be in the Corps one day.

Participation in the Corps was a family tradition that I was keen to follow: My father, Joseph T. Jones ’65 was in A Squadron; my grandfather Robert B. Jones ’42 was in L Battery; and my greatgrandfather T. Mercer Jones ’19 was in the Corps but did not graduate. It also helped with my decision when I found out that several friends from Blacksburg High School (yes, I was a townie) also

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were going to be in the Corps. In fact, my roommate, Nathan Collins ’90, and I had been friends since grade school.

We also had another good friend from Blacksburg, John Berger ’90, who commiserated with us during our new cadet year.

I have many memories of my time in the Corps, and the first few weeks provided some of the ones I remember most.

I’ll never forget one of the first times I met our F Company first sergeant, David Russillo ’88. He was strict and demanding but at the same time was approachable if we had any problems. At the time, the commandant, Lt. Gen. Howard M. Lane, was trying to make the Corps a kinder and gentler place by changing the rat line into the “new cadet” system.

Russillo had his own thoughts about this change and told us politely that he didn’t care what they called it, we were still going to drag in the halls, brace when spoken to, speak up, and endure

whatever other schemes he and the other upperclass cadets dreamed up for us to do.

A few funny things stick out from my time in the Corps, and among them is the time when me and my other two jakes tied our dyker, Allan Fehr ’89, to the lanyard on the new flagpole between Brodie and Rasche halls in the middle of the night and hoisted him to the top.

It was around Christmas, and our idea was to wrap red ribbon down the pole to make it look like a candy cane. Alas, we were foiled by an attentive cadet from the Highty-Tighties, who got one of the cadet officers to tell us to cease and desist under no uncertain terms. As he pointed out, the flag pole was swaying to and fro in a somewhat dangerous manner with Allan at the top of the pole.

On one cold winter night, a bunch of us got our “pickle bag” (green utility uniforms) on and drove up Interstate 81 to the place near Lexington, Virginia, where Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Keydets paint the big rock every year

with their class year on it. As I remember it, we sort of rappelled down from the top of the rock and, utilizing a lot of spray paint, painted over the “M” in VMI, changing the rock to read “VPI.” We then proceeded to ride around VMI yelling “Hokie Hi” out of the car until the VMI campus police pulled us over and advised we should leave before an altercation ensued. (Sage advice looking back on it!) I’m sure the Keydets at the time were not amused — but it was innocent fun had by all, and we did our part for the old rivalry.

I also remember running around the Virginia Tech campus once or twice in the middle of the night, involved in various activities the upperclass cadets deemed to be “character building.”

Those stories are probably best left to the imagination.

A new door opens During my time in the Corps, I was in Air Force ROTC under Col. Russ McDonald, a Vietnam War veteran and

Jones hard at work at Naval Criminal Investigative Service Resident Agency, Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, 2010.

former fighter pilot. He was the one who called me in his office and told me that due to some heart surgery I had in my youth, I would be unable to pass the Air Force physical. Upon hearing this news, my only thought was figuring out what I was going to do now that I wouldn’t be receiving a commission. I then did what any young person would have done in my position and called Mom and Dad for guidance. My father gave me great advice when he said that when the Lord closes doors, He always opens other ones.

So at that point I began to pursue other career options.

My previously mentioned F Company first sergeant, Russillo, had opted out of the Air Force ROTC and had joined the Virginia State Police (VSP).

Although we did not have anyone in law enforcement in my family, I thought it might be a good career choice. So after graduation, I applied with the VSP and approximately 18 months later found myself in the VSP Basic School. That was akin to being back in new cadet training,

Jones (far right) and his team on a liaison trip somewhere in the Djiboutian desert, 2007.

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Jones learns to catch critters at French Foreign Legion Desert Survival School, Djibouti, Africa, 2007.

so all of the yelling and regimentation endured as a trooper trainee was old hat to me.

I made it through the Basic School and upon graduation was assigned to Caroline County, Virginia, as a new state trooper. I stayed two years there and was quickly promoted to special agent in the VSP Bureau of Criminal InvestigationRichmond Division and subsequently the Salem Division, where I stayed for another 10 years. During this time, I met my beautiful wife, Bobbie Jo, through a mutual friend, and we were married and started a family. In 2004, Bobbie Jo and I decided that although we loved the VSP, we wanted to see more of the world. Because I still loved the military, we chose to put an application in with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

In 2004, I was picked up by NCIS and began training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. I was initially assigned to Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia. After four years there, including a six-month stint as what we call the “day agent” aboard the USS Carl Vinson, I transferred down to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center as part of what NCIS called the Contingency Response Field Office (CRFO). It was basically a field office set up to deploy agents worldwide. While stationed there, I did three tours in Iraq and four in Afghanistan — adding to a

Jones (bottom left) with the military investigations contingent at French Foreign Desert Survival School, Djibouti, Africa, 2007.

previous tour to Iraq and one to Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, Africa, while assigned to Norfolk. Most of my tours were to criminal investigative billets as part of the International Contract Corruption Task Force, with the exceptions that my deployment to Djibouti was as a liaison to the Djiboutian National Police and my first tour in Iraq was as an interrogator assigned to Joint Special Operations Command.

The return to Virginia After my stint at CRFO, my bride and I decided to return to the Old Dominion, which is where our hearts are.

We, along with our now three children,

Jones standing just inside the Ethiopian border, 2007.

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moved to a little town in Hanover County called Ashland. I did a two-year assignment as an economic crimes division desk officer at NCIS headquarters at Marine Corps Base Quantico. In September 2016, I got the job I wanted and transferred to a counterintelligence/ research, development, and acquisition billet at the nearby Naval Surface Weapons Center in Dahlgren, Virginia, where I became part of the small, threeperson office. So far, the work has been very rewarding, as we support a lot of the U.S. Navy’s research and development into new weapons systems. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, I plan on staying at the Naval Surface Weapons Center

until I retire, as my wife and I are happy in Ashland.

My time served with the VSP and later NCIS has been very fulfilling. I’ve gotten to serve our country, and NCIS afforded me the opportunity to see much of the world while assisting with the mission of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to fight and win. I attribute a lot of my ideas about service and sacrifice to my personal hero, my Dad, and the time I spent in the Corps. I think the Corps of Cadets has always done an excellent job in preparing young men and women for service to our country, no matter what occupation a cadet chooses upon graduation.

I would say to any young man or woman contemplating going to Virginia Tech that the Corps of Cadets is the place to be. You are part of something bigger than yourself. There is a sense of duty, and the motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) is practiced daily by cadets.

Although my daughter chose to attend

Jones, left, with Charlie Daniels (center) and another NCIS agent at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, 2010.

another great school, Christopher Newport University, I tell my two boys that if they want to go to Virginia Tech then the Corps is the way to go — besides it’s a family tradition!

I would never change anything about my time in the Corps. I was there during some of my formative years and the

Jones at Balad Air Base, Iraq, after a mission to Northern Iraq to perform a High Value Target interrogation, 2005.

memories I have are some of my fondest.

During my stint in the Corps, I ended up being tapped for the Gregory Guard and became a member of the German Club, along with my Old Lady, Nathan Collins. It was just such a great time of camaraderie and learning about what service to others really means.

One of the perks of the job: Standing outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, 2007.

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Commandant’s Column

We Live in Interesting Times

By Commandant of Cadets Maj. Gen. Randal D. Fullhart, U.S. Air Force (retired)

One of the challenges in writing these articles is that by the time they are printed much may have changed. That certainly is my challenge as I write about recent and current events and why the mission of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is more critical than ever before.

During the early part of my career, flying airlift missions, I participated in many operations that were a result of the Cold War. Scores of aircraft, personnel, and equipment were flying the skies over the Atlantic, moving our forces forward to demonstrate America’s resolve and partnership with our NATO allies. The exercise’s purpose was to demonstrate our ability to rapidly reinforce Europe in the face of threats from the Soviet Union.

Fast forward to the week that I’m writing this, and U.S. forces are once again deploying into Europe — this time in Poland — demonstrating that same resolve in the face of Russian aggression in the Ukraine, Crimea, and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, what used to be harmless coral atolls in the South China Sea are being transformed into fighting bases

by China, and those bases will include airfields, weapons storage areas, and resupply centers. All this is occurring in the shadow of the Philippines, where U.S. forces fought and died during World War II and continue to fight today against terrorist organizations.

Just a few years ago, U.S. military forces were being reduced in numbers.

Now they are growing. Military equipment, long-overused and long-overdue for replacement, is now gaining attention.

14 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

Here at home, we are struggling to overcome long-neglected infrastructure issues while simultaneously dealing with threats to our modern technological infrastructure that our institutions, public and private, depend on.

The journey of social opportunity, justice, and equality is continuing its meandering path, confused by generational differences and circumstances — not to mention the fast-changing technological, sociological, and economic forces at play.

So with all that swirling around us, we pause and look inward at today’s and tomorrow’s Corps and reflect on our mission and its importance.

We continue to address the facilities, financial underpinnings, and academic rigor of our program. This fall, we will move into the second of the two new residence halls, and we are pushing hard

for state support of the Corps Leadership and Military Science Building. In the face of reduced revenue at the state level, we are constantly struggling to ensure that we receive the necessary public funding to accomplish our mission. That is why the generosity of alumni, past and future, is needed more than ever.

On the academic front, I am pleased to note that through new programs instituted by the Rice Center for Leader Development and hard work by the cadets, we achieved a record-high average Corps GPA for the fall 2016 semester — 3.14 on a 4.0 scale!

Elaine Humphrey, the director of the Rice Center for Leader Development, is working with the Pamplin College of Business to prepare for the next cycle of accreditation for our courses and, in particular, the minor in leadership.

Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart prepares to sign 676 letters to the families of cadets who made the fall Commandant’s List for earning a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, at far left, with the spring regimental staff and battalion commanders.

For the first time since the minor was created, we are putting it through a comprehensive review. As a result, we are increasing the credit received by cadets in our Citizen-Leader Track and adjusting course requirements to reflect our philosophic aim of developing global, ethical leaders. By taking advantage of existing university courses, we are able to offer cadets a more tailored set of course choices on global ethics and a baseline course on management to compliment the courses we and our ROTC partners provide on leader development.

Looking to the future, we are pleased to welcome Sandi R. Bliss, our new director of advancement for the Corps. She will blend the efforts of alumni relations, communications, and development. This is important as we look for new ways to solidify our connections with our alumni and donor communities in advance of our major efforts to address needs in scholarships, global travel, and increased academic offerings.

On a broader front, the Corps staff is engaging in the Integrated Security Destination Area, a university focus on developing expertise and graduates who are steeped in disciplines and experiences that will enable them to lead the way in addressing pressing and emerging security challenges for our nation.

Taken together — the challenges surrounding us in the world, the resource needs of the Corps, and the academic success we are seeing in our programs and cadets — it paints a picture of a vibrant Corps that is needed now, more than ever.

With that, alumni and friend support and engagement is needed now, more than ever, too. Everything counts — whether you offer words of encouragement to cadets, serve as mentors, come to talk with cadets during reunions and other gatherings, or make financial investments small and large!

The leaders we are developing will be leading in interesting times. More importantly, they will be called upon and challenged in ways never before experienced. What does not change are the values inherent in great leaders: honor, ethics, professionalism, always doing what is right.

So what I hoped I’ve conveyed is a sense of optimism and excitement, in a time of need and unprecedented demand for the type of leaders we produce.

It’s a great time to be a part of the Corps!

Cadets salute the colors during morning formation.

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 15

Fall Events Fall is always a busy time on the Upper Quad, and 2016 brought a lot of excitement and some special guests who shared their experiences with cadets. Traditions — such as the Fall Caldwell March, a Thursday night game in Lane Stadium, and Veterans Day observances — remain a strong part of the Corps experience. Background photo: Cadets salute while the National Anthem is played during the Thursday night football game against Miami on Oct. 20. The Hokies won, 37-16.

to March on Oct. 1 lf of the Caldwell make the first ha scheduled for April 15. ets cad r ea t-y The firs march is ond half of the training. The sec

ase

end their Red Ph

Growley II and his tea m of cadet handlers pose for a picture wit Tech’s first black stu dent, h Irving Peddrew, Virg inia football game against at a tailgate party at the Holtzman Alu mni Center before the Miami.

Oct. 20

at the College , Sharon, enjoy a moment Mel Borleis ’64 and his wife e. gam i Miam 20 Oct. the

ges to Virginia the six senior military colle or leaders and cadets from ed States’ annual conferUnit the of The Corps welcomes seni ols Scho and of Military Colleges Tech for their Association re outside Pearson Hall. the attendees pose for a pictu ence on Oct. 23-25. Here,

16 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

From left, documentary filmm akers Neal Schrodetzki and veterans who were statione Ethan Morse, both U.S. Arm d at the Tomb of the Unknow y Cemetery, and alumnus Lt. n Soldier in Arlington Nati onal Col. Brad Lawing ’92 spok e with the regiment and show portion of the “The Unknow ed a ns” documentary during the Oct. 6 Corps Lab.

of Science tailgate before

Cadets spend time with vete rans in Roanoke, Virginia, befo on Nov. 5. re the Virginia Veterans Para de

e in downtown

ia Veterans Parad

nd at the Virgin

iewing sta rches past the rev A company ma ia. gin Vir e, ok an Ro

The runners take off from the start line of the Corps’ Veterans Tech Cross Country 5K event Nov. 13 on Cou the Virginia lenges veterans to find rse. The event raises money for The Mis sion Continues, wh new missions after ich challeaving the military.

ry of the with cadets about the histo Freedoms Foundation talks Lab. s Corp 3 .

Nov the Author Gary Williams of the ng duri ients through the years Medal of Honor and its recip

The Corps hosts the universit y’s Veterans Day ceremon y on Nov. 11. The event start Memorial Chapel with Col. s in War Kevin Milton, who oversees the Army ROTC program, speaker. Afterward, Milton, as the guest Virginia Tech President Tim Sands, and Maj. Gen. Rand participate in the wreath-la al Fullhart ying ceremony at the Pylo ns.

experiences i Stone ’14 talk about their Corey Morrell ’14, and And rations From left, Justin Firaben ’10, Firaben is a strategy and ope 29.

Nov on ts cade alion Police after graduation with VPI Batt is an officer with the Prince William County (Virginia) rell nia.

Mor Virgi sburg, erick Fred in consultant with Deloitte, Shop ee Coff s Agora Downtown Department, and Stone own

Cadet Brooke Edwards ’17, at left, and Jason Ridinger of Northwest Mutual in Roan member of the Rice Center oke, a Board of Advisors, participa te in a mock job interview Battalion’s JobEx career-tr during the VPI aining event.

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 17

VPI Battalion

It’s Good to be Back

By Jason Oberoi ’09, assistant director of the Citizen-Leader Track/VPI Battalion If you had asked me what I would be doing after graduation, never in a thousand years would I have thought I would be back at Virginia Tech, much less working on the Corps of Cadets staff.

But when I got the opportunity to come back to the Corps in August, I couldn’t pass on it.

My time with the Corps began in 2005 as a rat in Band Company. I applied to one school, got into one school, and accepted an offer from one school without ever seeing campus, so my parents thought it would be a good idea to visit.

My orientation leader, Ryan Edenstrom ’05, was a fifth-year student who was the 3rd Battalion commander. Bryant Tomlin ’09 and I peppered him with questions about what the Corps was, and he gave me enough information to know that I still wanted to join.

18 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

I didn’t think about what this meant when I arrived on campus in August 2005, but the true value of being a cadet became very apparent when I got to my first unit in the Army in June 2011.

Not only was I mentally and physically prepared to be a platoon leader, but my unit was full of Corps alumni. Tom Lenz ’08 was my executive officer, Derrick Gough ’09 was the chemical officer, and Anthony Akrami ’08 was a fire support platoon leader.

This great group of guys took me in and prepared me for deployment to Afghanistan. I ran into one of my buds, Devan Vaughn ’09, in a dining hall. I signed for my vehicles from Will Larsen ’08, my first sergeant when I was a rat, and I RIP’ed (replaced) with Tyler Walrond ’09 while I was there. The Corps prepared me to be an officer and gave me a great family. Best yet, I also met my

wife, Allie, in the Corps.

I am now the assistant director for the Citizen-Leader Track/VPI Battalion. In short, I ensure that our Citizen-Leader (Corps only) cadets have the professional development to get jobs. Part of this is connecting with employers to talk about cadets. Part of this is teaching classes on resumes, explaining job fair tactics, helping cadets network with employers, and spreading the word about the Corps and its cadets. I want our grads to tap into the same network of alumni that helped me as an officer.

One of the efforts we started to increase cadet networking is the Alumni Mentor Program. Using a LinkedIn group, we are engaging alumni from all backgrounds, majors, and classes to be a resource for our cadets. The idea behind the group is that any cadet with a question about being assigned to a post or

branch or ship or who will be going into a certain profession can post a question on the Linkedin group’s board. Any alumnus with knowledge on the matter can reply.

The dream is to one day establish individual Linkedin groups for each of the branches, as well as one for our VPI alumni — but this is contingent upon the number of alumni who participate.

We thank those of you who have already volunteered. Another nice benefit is that jobs can be posted directly to the group for only our students and alumni to see.

If you are interested in being involved, search for “VTCC Alumni Mentor Group” on LinkedIn. We also continue to receive support from members of the Rice Center Board of Advisors. Not only do they network us into a number of businesses and law enforcement organizations, they also offer advice on how to best update our curriculum so that cadets are leaving with education that makes them more marketable.

The Alumni Mentor Program, as well as a number of new initiatives we hope to begin, all focus on one goal: having 90 percent of our graduates employed or in graduate school by the time they walk across the graduation stage.

Currently this number is only matched

by Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of

Business and College of Engineering, but we hope that with more networking with employers and some help from our alumni, we achieve our goal.

If you or someone you know is looking for young leaders to add to their organization, please let me know. I can be reached at jtoberoi@vt.edu.

Allie and Jason Oberoi hold a Virginia Tech flag in Afghanistan. Capt. Allie Oberoi ’10 is the Corps’ executive officer.

Virginia Tech is well known for its No. 1 ranking for Best Quality of Life by the Princeton Review and for being considered a top 25 Public Research University by the National Science Foundation.

A top

military-friendly

school — Victory Media —

Now Hiring www.jobs.vt.edu

Virginia Tech is also committed to veterans and helping them find employment at the university. With approximately 250 job openings every day, opportunities for veterans are abundant.

1

st

university in the commonwealth to be

certified by Virginia Values Veterans

Veterans’ Resources www.veterans.vt.edu

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 19

Hokie Heroes Started in 2006 by IMG College, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Hokie Heroes program honors Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumni who are currently deployed. Recipients of this honor are highlighted during the radio broadcasts of Virginia Tech football games by Jon Laaser and Mike Burnop, on the Corps of Cadets website, and in the Corps Review magazine. Shown here are the Hokie Heroes featured during the first half of this year’s football season.

2nd Lt. Peter Schadt ’15, USA Kuwait

le ’13, USMC Africa

1st Lt. Luke Hinsda

Capt. Andrew Lott ‘11, USAF Asia

2nd Lt. Marie (Yacone) Tully

’15, USA Kuwait

pman ’00, USCG Lt. Cmdr. Brian Cha , North Carolina Wilmington

Lt. Joshua Dw orkin ’11, US N Arabian Gulf

Lt. John Sapliway ’12, USN Arabian Gulf

1st Lt. Joanna Danielson

Col. Stephen Hughes ’89, USAF Afghanistan

Col. Craig Tippins ’91, USA Pakistan

20 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

’10, USA Kuwait

Chairman’s Column

2016 was a Dog Gone Good Year

By J. Pearson ’87, chairman, Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni Inc.

Virginia Tech’s football team completed a 10-win season, the first time in five years. Along with this great season, Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Commandant Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart and team introduced a new ambassador to Virginia Tech. His name is Growley II (call sign “Tank”).

Growley, the dog, is bringing light to all things good with Corps traditions.

In fall 2016, thousands of Virginia Tech fans cheered as they watched Growley patrol the sidelines of Worsham Field while chewing on our opponent’s mascot toy. I especially liked to see Growley chewing on the Virginia Cavalier doll.

Alumnus Kendall O. Clay VT ’66 provided the mascot dolls of our home opponents for Growley. We greatly appreciate his help, and the fans loved it.

Over this past year, I have had the chance to communicate with our outstanding men’s basketball coach, Buzz Williams. Buzz has become a big fan of the Corps. He invited Gen. Fullhart, cadets, and veterans to visit the team and teach the newfound respect for the National Anthem.

During one of our talks, I explained the story of Cadet Matt Laporte, who was killed during the 2007 shooting at Norris Hall while defending his fellow students.

Buzz wanted to know everything about him and what he did that day. Buzz wants to talk and learn more about it to raise awareness. Buzz has become a Corps supporter and will help us any way he can.

We welcome his help and his friendship and wish him good luck.

I was asked by Charles Phlegar, Virginia Tech’s vice president of advance-

ment, to speak to his entire team. He is responsible for development, alumni relations, and university relations. My primary mission was to speak from a donor’s perspective. I appreciated the opportunity to educate his team of more than 300 about the Corps on what we do right and how we can make it better. What a way to reach so many Virginia Tech employees who are on the front lines working with our alumni every day.

Gen. Fullhart and the development team continue to meet with donors as we try to name the new Corps residence hall (old Brodie). We also continue to raise more funds for the Cadet Leadership and Military Science Building to cover the cost of bond interest. We want to make sure the university and the common-

wealth have every reason to continue to fund their portions of the project without objection. The design phase on the building has started.

We also continue to raise funds so that one day every cadet receives an Emerging Leader Scholarship. We want to see the scholarship grow in amount each cadet receives to eventually cover the cost of attendance. Please help the commandant and the Corps in any way you can. Our number one goal, as an association, is to help our future alumni cope with the rising cost of an education from Virginia Tech.

Please remember: As alumni, we must communicate, participate, and donate!

Go Hokies!

From left, Cadet handlers Zack Sever ’17, Jeff Zander ’17, and Corps Ambassador Growley II (call sign “Tank”) catch up with J. Pearson on Worsham Field.

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 21

GIVE

TO

Hokies are a rare breed.

We always find more to give — in the classroom, on the job, and in the community.

Jasmine Jacobs ’17 gives her all. Serving as the regimental public affairs officer this semester provides leadership experience she’ll draw from after commissioning in the U.S. Air Force, where her goal is to work in public affairs.

So does working as an office assistant for Virginia Tech President Tim Sands.

A public relations major, Jasmine appreciates the uniqueness of “a senior military college that allows cadets to still have a full college experience alongside civilian students. Through military training, service, leadership opportunities, and bonds that form for a lifetime, I wouldn’t trade my experience in the Corps of Cadets for anything.”

Cadets like Jasmine graduate ready to give more, thanks to those who give back to Virginia Tech.

Learn more about the power of philanthropy: vtcc.vt.edu/give.html.

Give today in support of the Corps of Cadets Commandant’s Priorities: givingto.vt.edu/moretogive.

Quad-Angle

Senior Cadet Commanders, Spring 2017 Regimental Commander

Bridger Johnson

Cadet Col. Bridger Johnson, of Fredricksburg, Virginia, is pursuing a degree in political science with a minor in leadership studies and plans to commmission into the U.S. Army upon graduation. He joined the Corps because he wanted to become a better leader and serve his country. Cadet Johnson has held multiple leadership positions in the Corps and Army ROTC. In the Corps, he served as the First Battalion cadet sergeant major, the regimental command sergeant major, and the Alpha Company academics officer. In Army ROTC, he served as Alpha Company first sergeant and a platoon leader for Echo Company. Honored to serve the regiment, Cadet Johnson is a part of the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society and Scabbard and Blade Military Honor Society. He is the recipient of an Army ROTC scholarship and an Emerging Leader Scholarship.

Second Battalion Commander

Scott Fisher

Cadet Lt. Col. Scott Fisher, of Cross Lanes, West Virginia, is pursuing a degree in finance with a minor in leadership studies. He plans to commission into the U.S. Army National Guard upon graduation. Cadet Fisher joined the Corps to gain a unique leadership experience and prepare for a dual U.S. Army National Guard and civilian career. He has held multiple leadership positions in the Corps and in Army ROTC. He served as Echo Company commander and athletics NCO in the Corps and as a platoon sergeant, platoon leader, and battalion intelligence officer in Army ROTC. Thrilled to serve Second Battalion, Cadet Fisher is the recipient of a 2.5-year Army Granted Reserve Forces Duty Scholarship.

First Battalion Commander

Madison Foreman

Cadet Lt. Col. Madison Foreman, of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, is pursuing a degree in international studies with minors in leadership studies and German. A member of the VPI Battalion, Cadet Foreman joined the Corps because he wanted to challenge himself and prepare for success in the future.

During his time in the Corps, Cadet Foreman has served as a squad leader and platoon sergeant for Charlie Company and the executive officer for First Battalion. Excited to serve First Battalion, Cadet Foreman is a part of the Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence program and Naval Aviation Society and is a recipient of an Emerging Leader Scholarship.

Third Battalion Commander

Chris Hintz

Cadet Lt. Col. Chris Hintz, of Sterling, Virginia, is pursuing a degree in business information technology with a minor in leadership studies. He plans to commission into the U.S. Marine Corps upon graduation.

Cadet Hintz joined the Corps because he wanted to challenge himself and commission in the U.S. Marine Corps as a pilot. He has served as a platoon sergeant, cadre member, squad leader for Lima Company, Skipper Crew gun captain, regimental operations officer, Raider Company commanding officer, and Raider Company guide. Proud to serve Third Battalion, Cadet Hintz is a member of Skipper Crew, Scabbard and Blade Military Honor Society, and Semper Fi Society, as well as a recipient of a Marine-option ROTC scholarship and an Emerging Leader Scholarship.

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 23

Command Staff, Spring 2017

Regimental Executive Officer Cassie Davis Biological Sciences Richmond, Virginia Navy

Regimental Adjutant Beth Demyanovich Civil Engineering Springfield, Virginia Air Force

Regimental Public Affairs Officer Jasmine Jacobs Public Relations Newport News, Virginia Air Force

Regimental Operations Officer James Heck Mining Engineering Ashburn, Virginia Army

Regimental Supply and Finance Officer Samuel Kaylor History Bristol, Virginia Marine Option

Regimental Academics Officer Laura Palombella Biochemistry Midlothian, Virginia Navy

Regimental Sergeant Major Dimosthenis Doulamis Human Development Lowell, Massachusetts Air Force

Regimental Inspector General Trevor Curran Biological Sciences Manassas, Virginia Citizen-Leader Track

Executive Court Chair Walter Gonsiewski Mechanical Engineering Lebanon Township, New Jersey Air Force

Honor Court Chief Justice Alexander Rastovac International Studies and Russian Gurnee, Illinois Navy

Regimental Historian Ian Michael Daniel Ross Thompson History Fredericksburg, Virginia Citizen-Leader Track

VPI Battalion Commander Austin Hess Property Management Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Citizen-Leader Track

24 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

Army Battalion Commander Joshua Conyers Industrial and Systems Engineering Staunton, Virginia Army

Navy Battalion Commander Andrew M. Greenwood Industrial and Systems Engineering McLean, Virginia Marine Option

Air Force Battalion Commander Andrew J. Vogel Mechanical Engineering Arlington, Virginia Air Force

Command Staff, Spring 2017

Alpha Company Commander Peter Wilson Finance Springhill, Tennessee Citizen-Leader Track

Bravo Company Commander Timothy Lambert Mining Engineering Bridgewater, Virginia Citizen-Leader Track

Charlie Company Commander Joshua Miller International Studies Macungie, Pennsylvania Army

Delta Company Commander Chas Blais Mathematics Virginia Beach, Virginia Navy

Echo Company Commander Benjamin Baldwin Political Science Zanesville, Ohio Army

Foxtrot Company Commander Bradford Gifford Mining Engineering Glen Mills, Pennsylvania Marine Option

Golf Company Commander Nathan Sipantzi Mechanical Engineering Forest, Virginia Army

Hotel Company Commander Katy Wheeler Industrial Systems Engineering Radford, Virginia Air Force

India Company Commander John Hawley Industrial Systems Engineering Arlington, Virginia Air Force

Kilo Company Commander Bradley Polidoro Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Fredericksburg, Virginia Navy

Lima Company Commander Nikkole Lenardson Biological Systems Engineering Las Vegas, Nevada Army

Band Company Commander James Tucker Civil Engineering Leesburg, Virginia Air Force

Band Alpha Company Commander Matthew Watson International Studies Alexandria, Virginia, Army

Band Bravo Company Commander Erica Chuang Chemistry Fredericksburg, Virginia, Navy

Regimental Drum Major Kavi Muraleetharan Mechanical Engineering Ashburn, Virginia Air Force

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 25

Deborah Tillotson poses for a picture with son, Ian, and husband, Dan, after her son finished a portion of his pilot training in January at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma.

Focus on Philanthropy:

Four Questions for Deborah Tillotson Deborah Tillotson ’78, ’87 was the first person in her family to go to college. She was among the second class of women to join the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. She commissioned in the U.S. Air Force as a satellite engineer and turned that into a 40-year career in space and ground systems program management, engineering, development, and operations.

She credits her success to her education — a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering — and the Corps’ lessons of teamwork and perseverance.

26 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

She gives to Virginia Tech and the Corps to inspire the next generation of engineers and to enable others to have similar educational experiences. Plus, she’s remained active on campus through recruiting, serving on various boards and committees.

After 30 years with General Electric and Lockheed Martin, Tillotson is now director for integration for Vencore (formerly The SI Organization), where she is responsible for acquisitions integration.

She serves as lead of the Development Task Force of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni (VTCCA) Board and

is a member of the College of Engineering’s Committee of 100.

She lives in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Dan, an engineer and pilot. Their son, Ian Tillotson ’14, is a second lieutenant in the Air Force and currently in pilot training. He married 2nd Lt. Allison Laclede ’15, in December 2016.

Q: What was the first gift you made to Virginia Tech and why did you make it?

A: I made my first major gift to Virginia Tech in 1997, an academic scholar-

ship to the Department of Mechanical Engineering. At that time, I had been asked to co-lead the Philadelphia/Wilmington area for the Campaign for Excellence, Virginia Tech’s first national fundraising campaign that generated $118 million and helped increase the value of assets held by the Virginia Tech Foundation from less than $8 million to more than $123 million. I was the first in my family to go to college. With a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering, I wanted to give back and enable someone to have the kind of education that was part of what made me successful in my career. I was part of the second year of women in the Corps; it was before they enrolled women at the academies, and I wanted to serve in the Air Force in the area of space and rockets. At the time of my gift, I had recruited heavily at Tech for General Electric/Lockheed Martin, served on the Dean of Engineering’s Industry Advisory Board, and worked with Bev Watford to start an Industry Advisory Board for the Center for Engineering Excellence and Diversity. I didn’t know it then, but I was beginning a new phase of my understanding and application of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in my life and starting what would become a personal and family legacy.

Q: Why did you decide to fund an Emerging Leader Scholarship (ELS)?

A: Funding an ELS was part of my contribution to the Campaign for Virginia Tech, along with an Engineering Education Fund for the Hypatia and Galileo programs [living-learning com-

munities offered for engineering majors].

My focus now spanned both engineering and the Corps, and my husband, a NC State alum, had been totally shanghaied as a Hokie by marriage. Our son had just enrolled as a cadet in Air Force ROTC majoring in aerospace engineering, and funding an ELS made a contribution that continued to help the Corps grow as we stretched to reach an enrollment of 1,000. I was part of the Dean of Students Parents Committee and began to serve on the VTCCA board shortly thereafter.

Q: What is your favorite memory from your time as a cadet?

A: My favorite memories include the pep rallies before football games where we started on Upper Quad and, led by a flaming “VT” and the band, proceeded in a pied-piper path through the Lower Quad, ending up in front of Dietrich Hall or on the Drillfield to cheer the team on for Saturday’s game. Making sails and spirit banners and cheering at the games themselves was an introduction to the Hokie Spirit that continues in our students and alumni today.

Q: If you could have dinner with any Corps of Cadets alumnus from any time who would it be and what would you talk about?

A: I’d have to say Charlie Cornelison ’67. Charlie really started me on the path of giving back and building a legacy with Virginia Tech. I remember we were both on the road traveling about 20 years ago and we met in a hotel lobby in Wilmington, Delaware, just off I-95 one Sunday morning. He was headed north,

and I was headed south on business trips. We talked about his vision for Tech and the Corps and the baby steps I was taking as I started to conceptualize what it meant to step up in service to Tech and the Corps. It would be fun to have that conversation again and see if things had turned out as we hoped, but we lost Charlie at the 2015 Highty-Tighty reunion. I know he was proud of the work we did to raise the private portion seed money for the new Corps Leadership and Military Science (CLMS) Building.

As the first opportunity for Corps alums to contribute to a more tangible brick and mortar structure, the CLMS and the two new dorms will change the face of Upper Quad and be a striking foundation for our Corps and ROTC programs that is long overdue. The heraldic design and the new museum space of the CLMS will highlight our past and envision the direction we want for our future. I’ve just recently taken on the Development Task Force Lead position in the VTCCA so I’ll be heavily involved in helping plan how the Corps contributes to our next major campaign. I like to think that Charlie is up there smiling on our efforts here and nudging us along the right path.

How to give Learn how you can support scholarships, the new Corps Leadership and Military Science Building, and other needs at vtcc.vt.edu/give. html or contact our advancement team at 800-533-1144.

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 27

Personal Stories Give Greater Meaning to Museum Artifacts

By Samantha Riggin VT’16, Corps museum curator Museums traditionally are full of interesting and visually pleasing artifacts and art. The future Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets museum will synthesize timetested exhibition standards with technologically advanced presentations to be relevant to a variety of visitors. It is a delicate line to walk to please all the museum’s potential visitors. Diligent planning between me, the museum task force, the commandant and the cadets, informs the strategy.

Critical to the museum’s mission is the preservation and presentation of the lives and accompanying stories from our alumni. I have been working to interview as many of our Old Guard as possible.

The interviews are fascinating, and at times astounding.

28 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

During a five-hour interview in December 2016, Col. James Dinwiddie ’45, a Vietnam-era Silver Star recipient, recounted some of his memories from his decades-long service in the U.S. Air Force.

Dinwiddie told me a harrowing tale of a failed attempt to save a downed pilot in the dense, sniper-infested jungle of Vietnam. Dinwiddie said he considered it “the most stressful day of my life,” and he was overcome with emotion during the interview. I, too, was left emotionally drained for a couple of days, but I wouldn’t trade that day for anything.

This is only one of several interviews I have documented this academic year, and more are on the horizon. As the Corps’ museum curator, I am charged with assembling and preserving the history of the

Corps for posterity. It is a challenge that is evolving within the museum field. Curators of today must find ways to marry the stories with the objects, providing meaningful and engaging history. While museum visitors still favor traditional, object-centered forms of storytelling, without corresponding historical background — such as Dinwiddie’s story — all you have is a display of “stuff.”

The amount of research it takes to uncover the histories of the photographs, documents, and old uniforms within the Corps museum’s collection provides plenty of food for thought for me. Not every object within the collection is “rare” or particularly historical in its own right, but it is valuable within the narrative of the Corps’ history.

A green jumper from the Corps of Cadets museum collect is one of the earliest incarnations of the female Corps uniform.

It is easy for me, as it is for other curators, to become engrossed in one item only to be pulled in a difference direction by another item that grabs my attention.

The trick is to find the meaning beneath the surface of the object — one that often includes life and death scenarios, moments of heroism, heartbreak, and honor.

Going through the Corps’ collection in an effort to equip the museum with objects and oral histories that provide critical, thought-provoking exhibits often leads me astray. I call this “getting lost in the rabbit hole,” the delightful abyss that researchers can find themselves after succumbing to the mind-boggling twists and turns in a research process. It is common for me to begin my day on one project, only to find that I wandered off onto another, equally compelling journey.

The green jumper pictured is a great example of this. It is one of the earliest incarnations of the female Corps uniform, and it has been taunting me as of late, begging me to find out about its former owner. I have no doubt that this seemingly unremarkable, and some would say unflattering, green jumper is anything but mundane. It surely relates the early struggles of women in the Corps, and I wouldn’t doubt that interviews that I have scheduled with some of the first members of L Squadron may be just as riveting and emotional as that of Dinwiddie’s.

The museum collection continues to grow, and I relish the challenges that face me. My goal, core to the mission of the museum, is to tell the story of the Corps of Cadets. By carefully researching our current holdings and interviewing as many alumni as time permits, I am confident that the results will be a true reflection of our history. It will be rocky at some points and awe-inspiring at others.

I hope you’ll support this mission, and when you have time, visit the temporary museum in Newman Library to take your own trip down into the rabbit hole.

Col. James Dinwiddie ’45

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 29

Upper Quad Update This fall, cadets will be living in the two newest residence halls on campus. Pearson Hall opened in late 2015 and replaced Rasche Hall.

Brodie Hall’s replacement will celebrate its opening later this year. In January, it was announced that the U.S. Green Building Council has recognized Pearson Hall with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. It recognizes the use of sustainable and recycled materials, energy and water efficiency, and other aspects in the building’s design and construction. Pearson Hall is the 14th Virginia Tech facility to earn a LEED certification. Background photo: The entrance to Pearson Hall.

For most of fall, the replacem ent for Brodie Hall was wrap completed the Hokie ston ped in scaffolding as workers e façade. t for Brodie Hall

The replacemen

Inside the replaceme

nt for Brodie Hall, dry

rsen Bridge.

rge towers above To

wall is in place thro

ughout the building.

ve. Maroon ie Hall was already impressi from the replacement Brod to Alumni Mall. ing lead In October 2016, the view alks sidw the g “VT” on campus alon brick will form the largest

Pearson Hall, as seen from A triple room in Pearson Hall.

30 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

Alumni Mall.

Recruiting Update

Jasmine Porter and Jim Myers ’78 recruit future cadets at Parsippany Hills High School in New Jersey.

Jason Darish ’95, Melissa Belleman ’90, and Dennis Hollich ’10 represented Virginia Tech and the Corps of Cadets at a college fair in fall 2016 at the International School of Brussels in Belgium.

Last Call Never Really is a ‘Last Call’

By Lt. Col. Dave Williams ’79, U.S. Army (retired) “Last Call to Growley, gray shirts, sirs.” Or so it went in the Old Corps.

This is the third and final installment of a series of articles intended to encourage young alumni to become involved in the recruiting of future generations of cadets.

Fortunately, last call is never really a “last call.” Think about it: Last call for SRC (Supper Roll Call) on a weeknight was always followed by first call for BRC (Breakfast Roll Call) the following morning. And so it goes with recruiting for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.

As you read this, the spring college fair season will be drawing to a close, and the commandant’s staff will be preparing for summer orientation — the last

chance to seal the deal with soon-to-be cadet freshmen and to change the minds of incoming civilian students who are on the fence about becoming cadets. When matriculation day arrives this August, the recruiting for the Class of 2021 will have absolutely concluded.

All of this will be followed immediately by the opening of the fall college fairs, when the work on building the Class of 2022 will commence in earnest!

Is this repetitive? Yes. But it is also much like our days as cadets.

Cadre reported. New cadets (rats, for us old-timers) reported. Cadre week was followed by classes, parades, football games, mid-terms, finals, the next semester (quarters, for us old-timers), military

weekend, spring, parades, and change of command. Then the cycle started again — always the same and yet always exciting and new.

For many of us alumni, recruiting for the Corps is much the same. It may sound far-fetched, but I doubt there is other volunteer work that is more fun than attending fall college fairs and telling the story of Virginia Tech and the Corps of Cadets to anxious high school seniors and their parents.

Come join us. The Corps still needs you! You can reach me at daveandliz.williams@gmail.com or the Corps Recruiting Officer, Lt. Col. Rewa Mariger, at rhintz@vt.edu.

Ut Prosim!

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Army ROTC

Cadets spent their labs and the Fall Field Training Exercise honing their individual soldier skills and perfecting their squad and platoon tactics.

Army ROTC News Virginia Tech’s Army ROTC unit completed another great semester with a continuing focus on leader development.

Learning Through Leadership

By Ben Paddock ’17 I had the privilege of being the Army ROTC cadet battalion commander for the fall semester. I easily can say I learned more in this semester than the past three years combined. It was amazing going from small unit leadership to being in command of over 300 cadets.

I found it humbling to see the large-scale planning that cadets engage in to make training happen. As battalion commander, I had an enormous amount of latitude in what training I wanted the battalion to focus on. Working with my staff, I created a commander’s intent and guidance for what I wanted every training event to look like. They then worked within those parameters to fill in the details of the training.

It was an enormous challenge to balance the art of command with the science of control. At the beginning of the

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semester, I found myself being too involved and had to step back to do my job properly. Just like everyone in the battalion, I began to learn my job and worked through my deputy commander, executive officer, sergeant major, and company commanders to effectively guide training. Another challenge I found was keeping our Delta Company, which operates 30 minutes away at Radford University, included in the battalion.

During my tenure as battalion commander, we accomplished integrating the freshmen into ROTC by teaching them basic tactics and physical training (PT). We developed the sophomores’ and juniors’ small unit leadership skills through PT and tactical labs. Last but not least, we as seniors gained experience planning everything the battalion did throughout the semester.

This semester, the cadet battalion cadre worked hard to improve the relationship between companies and to set our spring chain of command up for success. I couldn’t be prouder of the work we accomplished over this semester.

Col. Kevin Milton introduces Andrew Schoka ’16, at right, as the first cadet to serve in the Army’s new cyber branch.

Cadets Stephen Pistoia ’17 and Ben Paddock ’17 run the game ball onto the field during the Battle at Bristol.

Branching Ceremony

Game Ball Runs to Bristol

For most students at Virginia Tech, November brings joyful thoughts of Thanksgiving break and family reunions. For Army ROTC cadets, however, November is so much more. It is a time of anticipation, nervousness, and excitement as cadets wait to hear which career field they will serve in when they go on active duty. The fact that no one knows in advance exactly which day the branch results will be released increases the tension.

On Nov. 16, 2016, the day arrived. The cadet battalion commander was given the word to convoke the seniors for the long-awaited branching ceremony. With the same excitement as the Academy Awards, the cadets were handed the envelopes containing their designated branch assignments.

Before authorizing the cadets to open the envelops, Professor of Military Science Col. Kevin Milton gave the cadets a few words of wisdom, reminding them that it is not the branch that matters most, it’s how you serve in the branch you are given that counts. Then, being the artillery officer that he is, Milton gave the command, “Standby. … Fire.” And the cadets tore open their envelopes.

Whoops of joy, smiles, hugs, and fist bumps ensued. More than 65 percent of the cadets were ecstatic to receive their firstchoice branch. Overall, 90 percent of our cadets received one of their top two branch choices.

All branches except Finance Corps were represented by Virginia Tech cadets. The most prevalent branches that were awarded were infantry (11), engineers (7), signal corps (7), medical service corps (6), and field artillery and military intelligence (5 each). Most notable this year was the selection of our first cadet to serve in the Army’s new cyber branch. Cadet Andrew Schoka ’16 will have that honor in the annals of Virginia Tech history.

The Army ROTC Ranger Company has performed the Game Ball Run every year since 1977. This tradition consists of members of Ranger Company running the game ball for 100 miles around campus during the week of the homecoming football game. This year, the Game Ball Run went to new heights as the Army ROTCs of Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee collaborated to bring the Game Ball Run to college football’s biggest game ever, the Battle at Bristol.

Both schools agreed to have their cadets run a game ball the same number of miles as the distance from their university to Bristol Motor Speedway. For us, that meant 132 miles. For Tennessee, that was 110 miles. Cadet Stephen Pistoia ’17, the New River Battalion physical training officer, was assigned the task of organizing the event, which differed from the homecoming Game Ball Run in that the whole Army ROTC Battalion, not just Ranger Company, would participate.

One Army ROTC company per day was assigned to run the ball around campus the week before the game. Three to five cadets ran together for an hour before passing the game ball off to the next group. On game day, both schools ran their game balls into the stadium and fired up their fans. Then, as the game was about to start, two cadets from each school headed to opposite end zones and ran the balls onto the field. The Tennessee cadets handed their game ball off to NFL’s Peyton Manning, and our cadets handed their ball to Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer. Pistoia, who ran the ball onto the field with Paddock, said, “This was the most thrilling experience of my college career. When we delivered the ball to Frank Beamer, we told him ‘Beamer Ball never dies!’”

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 33

Naval ROTC

First Class Raider Company midshipmen pose for a picture during the Navy and Marine Corps Birthday Ball with Maj. Ahmad Martin, Col. Julie Nethercot, and Capt. Melvyn Huber (retired).

Naval ROTC News Virginia Tech’s Naval ROTC (NROTC) battalion had a busy and exciting fall semester. The battalion sent several midshipmen to participate in the Army Ten-Miler and the Dronet Challenge, and they placed first and second overall. During our professional laboratory, we had the opportunity to engage with an enlisted panel that provided great insight to the midshipmen and gave some personal stories of what junior officers should do for their sailors and Marines. We also received an in-depth briefing on the Nuclear Surface Warfare community, which helped spur interest in nuclear power. The NROTC unit continues to excel in physical fitness as well, reaching the highest overall fitness levels in recorded unit history.

We additionally, welcomed Capt. Michael Fisher, the new professor of naval science and commanding officer of the

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NROTC at Virginia Tech. We are excited for the new year and ready to tackle the challenges of the upcoming semester.

Dronet Challenge

By Midshipman 2nd Class Ian Pezzella ’18 On Oct. 29, 2016, 18 midshipmen traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to compete in the Dronet Challenge against other ROTC units around the country. The challenge was hosted by the Southern University NROTC and included the following events: endurance course, push-ups, sit-ups, water jug relay, pull-ups, and the Marine Corps Combat Fitness Test.

For the Dronet Challenge, the participants were split into two teams that competed against one another. Each team from Virginia Tech placed in the top two in each event, and by the

end of the competition our teams took the overall first and second place trophies. This experience led us to become closer with each other and gave us the chance to meet other midshipmen and cadets we will likely see in the future. Overall, it was a great experience and everyone was thrilled that Virginia Tech NROTC was able to come out on top.

241st Navy and Marine Corps Birthday Ball

By Midshipman 3rd Class Sean Carlin ’19 The NROTC unit held its annual Navy and Marine Corps Birthday Ball on Nov. 5, 2016. Hundreds of people attended the festivities, including many from other services. Attendees included Capt. Michael Fisher and Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, the commandant of cadets for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. The guest of honor at this year’s ball was Col. Julie Nethercot, commanding officer of Marine Corps Officer Candidates School.

Nethercot commissioned in May 1993 and graduated from the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, the Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, Command and Control Systems School, the Navy Command and Staff College, and the National War College. From June 2012 to June 2014, she served as the current operations chief, and then the Cyberspace Division chief for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and followed on as the deputy director for the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mitigation Oversight Task Force. She was able to bring her years of experience and deliver some words of wisdom to the attendees, as well as describe the fantastic opportunities offered by the military.

Winter Commissioning

By Midshipman 4th Class Matthew Kolb ’20 On Dec. 16, 2016, the NROTC battalion proudly commissioned five midshipmen as family and friends watched as they gave their first salutes as naval and Marine Corps officers. The former midshipmen were accompanied by six of their peers, who were commissioned as Army officers. The ceremony began with words of praise from guest speaker and alumnus Maj. Gen. Ted Harrison ’80, who complimented the Corps of Cadets for continually creating exceptional leaders for both the civilian and military sectors. Harrison reminded these young of-

ficers that America has been fighting the longest war in our nation’s history, and their jobs will be challenging as they start their careers for a nation currently at war. Following the speech, each midshipman went forward individually to swear the oath of office.

Ensign Alexander Brown stands with family after takThese newly ing the oath of office during winter commissioning. commissioned junior officers will be heading to various bases and stations as they start their careers in the Navy and Marine Corps. 2nd Lt. Jonathan Buford ’16 and 2nd Lt. Bryan Engelmann ’16 will report to The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, to begin training as Marine Corps officers. Ensign Andrew Ide ’16 will report to Pensacola, Florida, to begin his training as a naval flight officer. Ensign Alexander Brown ’17 will report to the USS Chancellorsville, CG-62, in Yokosuka, Japan, and begin his training as a surface warfare officer. Ensign William Herman ’16 will be reporting to Nuclear Power School and begin his training as a submarine officer. As these junior officers head off to serve their nation, the NROTC battalion wishes them fair winds and following seas.

Welcome Aboard Capt. Michael Fisher assumed command of the NROTC unit in October, 2016, relieving Cmdr. Jerry W. Burkette, who had been designated as the commanding officer after the retirement of Capt. Robert V. James III in May 2016. Fisher checks into the unit from, Manama, Bahrain, where he served as the commanding officer of Submarine Squadron 21. He previously held command of the ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska. We are excited to welcome him and his family to the community of Blacksburg and to the NROTC team.

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 35

Air Force ROTC

Air Force and Army cadets spend time at the American Veterans Conference in Washington, D.C.

Air Force ROTC News Cadet Wing Adds Fall Training Exercise and Attends New Conferences By the fall 2016 Cadet Public Affairs Staff Detachment 875 had another fantastic semester. Never satisfied, however, the cadet wing looked for new ways to improve an already-strong program. Those included holding a fall Air Force Training Exercise (AFTX) for the first time and finding new conferences to attend.

Normally, one can expect a Warrior Day in the fall and a two-day AFTX in the spring. This year, AFTX moved to the fall to take advantage of better weather (the snow storm during the April 2016 event weighed heavily in this decision).

Organizers had to ramp up preparations almost immediately and take into account that the freshmen weren’t even halfway through the year.

This year’s exercise was planned and organized by Cadet Nicholas Carroll ’17 and his staff. They constructed the best scenario in recent memory by pitting the wing’s cadet groups against each other. The first- and second-year cadets received better preparation thanks to the decision to place those who will be heading to summer field training in leadership positions. Cadet Abby Houghtling ’19, a group commander for

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Group Two during the exercise, said, “I learned so much from the experience at AFTX, especially from the senior cadet leadership I got to be around most of the time in my role as a group commander.”

AFTX wasn’t the only great thing from this semester as many cadets were able to take advantage of professional development opportunities away from Virginia Tech. Cadets attended three conferences, expanding their experiences and improving relations for the wing.

In September 2016, 11 cadets attended the Air Force Association convention in Washington, D.C. Each cadet could attend multiple panels from distinguished Air Force leaders. One of these panels was a speech from the Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein. The part of his speech that stood out most to Cadet Fallon Fulgenzi ’18 was when Goldfein brought up a quote, “History may not repeat itself, but it sure rhymes a lot.” Looking to the past to solve current and future conflicts was an overarching theme in his speech, as well as those during the other panels at the convention.

In October 2016, the new Thomas C. Richards Squadron — a part of Arnold Air Society, a national professional honorary service organization in support of aerospace power — was

Group One practices small unit tactics to defeat an opposing group during the fall Air Force Training Exercise.

chartered at Virginia Tech. Three of the founding members, Cadets Morgan Frazier ’17, Fulgenzi, and Brandon Tull ’18, attended their first area convention three days later. Despite the fact that the convention was held at the University of Virginia, it was a great time and an excellent learning experience. Frazier, the squadron commander, said she was “excited to have the opportunity to meet cadets from other detachments, in addition to learning more about Arnold Air as a national organization.”

Our detachment looks forward to what this new organization will bring to our wing, and we encourage any alumni with ties to Arnold Air Society to reach out to the detachment.

In early November 2016, seven Air Force and seven Army cadets traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the American Veterans Conference. The panels included wounded warriors, World War II veterans, Pearl Harbor survivors, Medal of Honor recipients, and many other men and women who shared their inspiring stories of valor. Then Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Gen. Peter Pace, and former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel were just some of the amazing speakers at the conference. “The trip was life-changing, and the experiences I had were unforgettable,” said Cadet Grace Spencer ’18.

While networking at the conference, Cadet Matthew Cooper ’20 was able to get the group a personal tour of the guard quarters of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in addition to meeting one of the guards. The opportunities to learn about true service and sacrifice on this trip were tremendous. Our cadets learned valuable lessons and brought this knowledge and motivation back to our detachment.

Cadet Walter Gonsiewski ’17

Air Force Specialty Code Selections Many cadets dream of becoming pilots when they join Air Force ROTC. However, few get the opportunity to be part of a selective pilot training route through the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT).

Detachment 875 is proud to recognize Cadet Walter Gonsiewski ’17 for being selected as a pilot candidate for this extremely competitive program. Only five cadets in the last four years from our detachment have been selected, and nationally less than 5 percent of pilot selectees are chosen.

In short, this program puts the pilot candidates on a fighter/ bomber track through a process that includes the expected high tempo of flying and intense studies, but is unique that candidates from all over the world train together. Gonsiewski said the other candidates “bring along with them tradition, culture, and different perspectives,” which he sees as a great motivation to compete for this program.

While the initial excitement and credit is well deserved for Gonsiewski, he emphasizes that this is just the beginning of the journey and that there is still preparation to do, including maintaining his fitness, getting more flying hours, and honing in on the studies. “This is an opportunity for me to work harder than I’ve ever worked before. It’s nice to take a step back, but never think it’s done,” he said.

Detachment 875 is proud that he has been recognized for his outstanding work with this selection and is excited to hear more about ENJJPT as he progresses through the program.

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 37

Philanthropy

News from the Development Office

By Scott Lyman ’84, assistant director of development, 800-533-1144, rlyman@vt.edu

I have some great news to report: Sandi R. Bliss has joined our advancement staff as the new chief of advancement officer for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. Bliss comes to us with more than 12 years of fundraising experience.

Most recently, she was the senior development officer for central initiatives and scholarships at the University of Miami Office of the Provost.

Bliss’ work there as the lead fundraiser included a $500 million campaign for new student housing. Before that, she spent seven years fundraising for the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology at Oklahoma State University, where she led the efforts to double the college’s fundraising goal a year ahead of schedule. Bliss has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in family sciences from Oklahoma State University.

I am pleased to report that through your generous gifts to the Corps, our annual giving numbers are up. As of Dec. 31, 2016, we raised nearly $3.4 million to support both the Corps and its cadets.

The next several years will be both challenging and rewarding as we move into the next phase of our fundraising efforts. In the past several years, many of you established scholarships in your name to support a cadet. We must double our efforts if we are to be able to support every cadet with a scholarship.

If you are unable to pledge $100,000 for a named scholarship, you can always contribute to your class scholarship or to an existing named scholarship. You just need to call and ask what the Corps needs.

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We must increase our scholarship endowments to ensure we outpace the rising costs of a college education. Our cadets are some of the finest young men and women at this university. It needs to be our mission to ensure that these cadets have what they need to make a difference in our country. As Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, the commandant of cadets, has said in the past, “Our nation needs more ethical leaders, now more than ever.”

We still have numerous rooms available for naming opportunities in the Corps Leadership and Military Science (CLMS) Building of $25,000 and up.

To ensure the successful start of that construction project, we need to have the remaining rooms spoken for as soon as possible.

This spring will mark the second phase of the 15th annual Caldwell March.

Last fall, we had more than 142 alumni, parents, and friends support 126 first-year cadets during on the first phase of the march. Your support brought in nearly $111,000.

Naming Opportunities: Corps Leadership and Military Science Building The following donors have taken advantage of CLMS naming opportunities since the fall Corps Review: • Patricia and Stephen W. Pavlik ’60 in honor of Col. and Mrs. “Rock” Roszak ’71 • Sue and John Trimble ’44

Sandi R. Bliss is the Corps of Cadets’ new chief advancement officer.

A rendering of the interior of the planned Corps Leadership and Military Science Building.

Annual Fund

By Randy Holden, director of annual giving Each spring, members of the Corps of Cadets join civilian students from across campus in the Student Calling Center to contact Corps alumni to build relationships, provide updates about the university, and promote investing in higher education. By working with trained callers, cadets have the opportunity to create bonds with former members of the Corps and learn how the cadet experience helped prepare them for life after graduation.

During the week of calls, the Student Calling Center is visited by Gen. Fullhart and members of the development team, who update the callers on the new achievements of the current cadets and provide more information on the upcoming Caldwell March.

The calling team also helps solicit support from alumni, such as yourself, for the Commandant’s Priorities Fund,

which helps fund the greatest needs of the Corps of Cadets. This support helps the Corps as it maintains a student body of more than 1,000 cadets while continuing to improve the leader-development programs as well as sponsor cadets for U.S. and overseas travel.

Your support of the Corps of Cadets, as well as the Student Calling Center, is critical to continued growth of the Corps mission. When you receive a call from a cadet, please feel free to ask questions about their campus experiences and share your own experiences.

Thank you for your continued support of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.

Major Gifts ($25,000 and above) Col. (Ret.) Bob Archer ’64 made an additional gift to the VTCC Archer Family Endowment. A member of I Company in the Corps, Archer has been a proud

and loyal supporter of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.

Richard T. Crowder ’60 made a gift to establish the Ambassador Richard T. Crowder Endowed Scholarship. Crowder, a proud member of E Company, established this scholarship to support a cadet from Mecklenburg County, Virginia.

Evelyn A. Gordon ’42 made an additional gift to her late husband’s scholarship, the VTCCA Charles O. Gordon ’42 Endowment. Charles Gordon was a loyal alumnus who participated in many activities during college and was the William H. Ruffner Award winner in 1985.

Kate and James Parkey ’51 made an additional gift to their VTCC Kate B. and James K. Parkey ’51 Scholarship.

Although James Parkey was not in the Corps, the Parkeys truly believe the mission of the Corps of nurturing and creating the finest leaders.

Meredyth and Gen. Thomas Richards ’56 made a gift to establish the VTCC

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 39

Cadets participate in morning formation on Upper Quad.

Meredyth E. & Thomas C. Richards ’56 Endowed Scholarship. A member of H Company, Thomas Richards was a member of the football and track teams and was inducted into the Virginia Tech Aviation Wall of Fame in 2006.

Charlene and Dorsey Smith ’58 made a gift to establish the VTCC Charlene & Dorsey B. Smith ‘58 Scholarship. Dorsey Smith is a proud member of I Company.

Fay H. Street ’77 made a gift to the Commandant’s Priorities Fund. Nick and Fay Street have been active supporters of the Corps of cadets for many years.

Elizabeth and Daniel Talbert ’64 made a gift to establish the VTCC Daniel M. (’64, M Co.) & Elizabeth G. Talbert Leader Scholarship. A proud member of M. Company, the Talberts established this scholarship to ensure the continued development of some of the finest leaders the Corps has to offer.

Edward M. Ringley ’58 established an estate gift that will ultimately fund the Edward M. Ringley Jr. ’58 Scholarship.

He is a proud alumnus of Virginia Tech

40 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

who received his bachelor’s degree in business administration. While a student, he was a member of C Squadron in the Corps and a member of the German Club. He is creating this endowment to provide expanded opportunities for members of the Corps of Cadets in perpetuity.

Your Gift Can Pay You Back

by Judith Davis, Office of Gift Planning You can make a gift that supports the Corps and provides lifetime payments to you. Often called life income gifts, these gift plans include the charitable gift annuity and the charitable remainder trust.

Your life income gift is created when you irrevocably transfer cash, securities, real estate, or another asset to the Virginia Tech Foundation Inc. in exchange for an income stream paid to you, to you and/or your surviving spouse, or to someone you name.

When the plan ends, typically after your lifetime, the remaining balance becomes your gift to the Corps. It’s a great

way to support the Corps and, at the same time, provide a stream of income for retirement, to assist an aging parent, or for any purpose.

Reduce the cost of your life income gift — or any gift If you have held an asset such as securities or real estate for more than one year, and that asset has gained value, donating that appreciated asset in lieu of cash may allow you not only to deduct the asset’s fair market value, regardless of purchase price, but also to avoid capital gains tax otherwise due, effectively reducing the cost of your gift.

Explore life income gifts online at http://bit.ly/vtpgcalc to calculate how a life income gift could work for you.

Learn more about the many ways you can support the Corps. Contact Scott Lyman, associate director of development for the Corps of Cadets, at 800-5331144 or rlyman@vt.edu.

Ut Prosim, Scott

Winter and Early Spring Happenings Winter brings a time of celebration to Upper Quad, whether it’s joining in on the 2016 holiday festivities and fellowship or honoring the work and dedication of the December graduates. The colder weather offers an opportunity to focus on academics and leadership lessons, including some from an admired Virginia Tech professor and experts who reflect on their experiences at leadership conferences around the country. Background photo: Cadets stand at attention during the final morning formation of the fall semester on Dec. 7.

s and ristmas sweater don their ugly Ch burg.

Highty-Tighties Members of the al on Dec. 4 in downtown Blacks tiv Winter Lights Fes

perform as part

Five cadets participat e in Reed Nagel ’17, Nolan the Corps’ fall graduation ceremony on Dec Paduda ’17, David Rob Gen. Randal Fullhart. ison ’17, and Mike Sch . 16. Kirk McConnell ’17, oka ’17 stand with Ma j.

of the

Friends of the Corps mingle with cadets and staff duri ng the annual holiday Coff the Corps event in the Pear ee with son Hall Company Room on Dec. 8.

to reprel to Charlotte, North Carolina, and his cadet handlers trave Bowl.

Belk 29 .

Growley II (call sign “Tank”) Dec the ng duri Tech on the field sent the Corps and Virginia

ls in Flint, expose elevated lead leve asking Edwards, who worked to ts about ethics on Jan. 24, Virginia Tech Professor Marc cade k Trac r eade en-L talks with Citiz lic welfare?”

Michigan’s, water supply, pub the nd defe to pay to willing them, “What price are you

In mid-January, Cadets Benj amin Reilly ’18, Mairead Nov ak ’17, and Abel Solomon accompanied by Deputy ’19, Commandant Capt. James Snyder, participate in the conference hosted by the leadership U.S. Naval Academy at Ann apolis. Cadets shared their ences and insights from the expericonference with fellow cade ts upon their return.

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 41

Maj. Stanley Cohen ’49, ’51 remembered

1928 – 2016

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Maj. Stanley Cohen in front of a 70-plus-year old C-45 aircraft named “Hokie Pokie.” The university purchased the plane after World War II, and it is now owned by the Tri-State Warbird Museum of Batavia, Ohio.

Cadet Stanley Cohen in his mess jacket as an underclassman.

Maj. Stanley Cohen

Maj. Stanley Cohen poses with his three 2016-17 civil and environmental engineering scholarship recipients.

Cohen cared deeply about his chosen profession of civil engineering, as well as the Corps.

Maj. Stanley Cohen loved aircraft, Virginia Tech, the Corps of Cadets, engineering, his American Volunteer Group jacket, story-telling, friends, and family.

Cohen, who died Dec. 30, 2016, at age 88, was a distinguished graduate of Virginia Tech, the beloved husband of Frances D. Cohen, a devoted father to Ron and Martha, and a loving grandfather. To the Corps of Cadets, he was a friend, philanthropist, and partner.

In recent years, the Virginia Tech community knew Cohen as the World War II pilot who helped bring airplanes from the Tri-State Warbird Museum in Ohio to Blacksburg for the last seven seasons to conduct military flyovers of Lane Stadium. “We thought we could rattle a few windows,” Cohen said in 2012.

Cohen served in World War II with the 14th Air Force, 23rd Fighter Group, 75th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Flying Tigers) in the China/Burma/India Theater. He flew the P-40N “Kitty Hawk.”

In 1945, he came to Virginia Tech and joined the Corps of Cadets. He

worked during the summers as a lifeguard in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

He received his bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering in 1949 and immediately enrolled in graduate school for civil engineering. He worked as a teaching assistant for the head of the department and as a line and grade engineer for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission from 1950 to 1951.

He was a member of two honor societies, architectural engineering’s Phi Kappa Phi and civil engineering’s Tau Beta Pi. After earning his master’s degree, Cohen moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to begin a 27-year career as chief engineer and field manager with a major construction firm. During that time, he became a licensed Professional Engineer in nine states, including Virginia.

He founded Stanley Enterprises Inc. in 1978. The firm designed and constructed buildings in 15 states for large national accounts. Cohen retired from the construction industry in 1993.

An active and generous Virginia Tech alumnus, Cohen endowed the Stanley &

Frances Cohen Scholarship in Civil Engineering in 1984. He continued annual support to at least four scholarships and endowed a Corps of Cadets Emerging Leader Scholarship in 1993, which now supports four cadets each year.

Cohen was a charter member of the Virginia Tech Ut Prosim Society, the College of Engineering Committee of 100, and the Civil and Engineering Alumni Advisory Board. In addition, he was a member of the university’s Legacy Society and a Silver Hokie.

When asked about his Virginia Tech philanthropy in 2012, Cohen said, “I believe my education and experience at Virginia Tech prepared me to excel in my chosen field, and I attempt to make myself an example for young people.”

Cohen set an example for all at Virginia Tech and dedicated his entire life to our motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). He will not be forgotten, as his legacy lives on through the Corps, the Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Hokie Nation.

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“Stan Cohen epitomized the Greatest Generation. He fought the most savage war in the history of civilization and then spent the rest of his life making things better for the people around him. His generosity to his friends and his alma mater was significant, and the special place he held in his heart for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets was evident whenever we were together. I always smiled when a random phone call would come in from Cincinnati, because I knew it was my friend Stan checking in to see how I was doing.”

— Richard “Rock” Roszak ’71, former Corps of Cadets alumni director and current member of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association board of directors

“A conversation with Stan Cohen always left me with a smile. He was a larger-thanlife individual who had a genuine love for Virginia Tech. He was generous and sincere in his support of both the Corps and the civil and environmental engineering department. He really enjoyed interacting with the students and his fellow alums — especially on game days when he would sponsor his antique plane visits.”

— Vickie Mouras ’78 and ’97, professor of practice, Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

“Mr. Cohen greatly enjoyed developing a personal connection with his scholarship recipients and made it a point to have breakfast with us. I could see that he genuinely cared about our academic and professional pursuits. In our breakfasts together, he took time to learn about each of our ambitions and studies. He then shared his own experiences to help us learn, and also to put a smile on our faces.”

— Mark Remmey VT’19, recipient of the Stanley & Frances Cohen Scholarship in Civil Engineering

Maj. Stanley Cohen next to a World War II-era Jeep.

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“He was always willing to share his Corps and military experiences. I could tell that it was truly an important part of his life, and I am glad that I could share in some of those experiences and hear his stories. I am extremely thankful for his support of my future in both the Corps and the Navy.”

— Cadet Judith Skinker ’17, recipient of Cohen’s Emerging Leader Scholarship

“He was very generous to the Corps, the College of Engineering, and athletics. His philanthropy was perhaps best demonstrated by covering the costs of flying vintage aircraft to Virginia Tech each fall and helping with the lodging and meal expenses for the aircrews. He was in his element visiting with anyone who ventured out to the airport to see the planes on static display. Few will ever forget Stan Cohen.”

— Dave Spracher ’70, former Corps of Cadets chief development officer “Jan. 5, 2017, was a bittersweet day as we said goodbye and honored one of our nation’s heroes, Maj. Stan Cohen ’49, at his funeral. He was a brilliant man and his resume was packed with many accomplishments, but what set him apart was his generosity. Stan was quoted to say, ‘If we don’t give to others, who will?’ My life has been enriched by the five short years I have known Stan. He loved his alma mater and lived the values of Ut Prosim.”

— Scott M. Pearl ’84, Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumni board task force chairman

“As a three-year recipient of Mr. Cohen’s civil and environmental engineering scholarship, I am honored to have gotten to know such an outstanding person. I will forever cherish the conversations with him over our annual breakfast about his love for Virginia Tech students and his aircraft. Words cannot express my appreciation for Mr. Cohen and the impact he had on me and the Virginia Tech community.

— Josh Dolinger VT’17, recipient of the Stanley & Frances Cohen Scholarship in Civil Engineering

“It was my pleasure to have known Stan over many years. He was a devoted alum of Virginia Tech, the Corps of Cadets, and the civil engineering department. Stan provided scholarship support to civil and electrical engineering students over an extended period of time; further, he always enjoyed the opportunity to meet the students he supported and learn about their aspirations. I will think fondly of Stan whenever an antique plane flies over Lane Stadium during a football game!”

— Bill Knocke, professor, Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering “Mr. Cohen was a fine man who cared greatly about his chosen profession of civil engineering. Whenever he made a visit to Virginia Tech for his dedicated involvement with the Corps of Cadets, he always took time to engage with the civil engineering department and connect with the students whom he supported through his endowed scholarship fund. Mr. Cohen always enjoyed meeting the students, sharing stories about civil engineering from years past, and learning about the demands on students in the current day.”

— Kara Lattimer VT’02, academic/career advisor, Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Honor Guard

In Memory Clyde W. Bradshaw ’36 1915 – 2016 Clyde W. Bradshaw, 101, died Nov. 19. A 1936 graduate of Virginia Tech, he served in the European Theater during World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel and earning a Bronze Star for meritorious service during the Battle of the Bulge. For many years, he lived in Norfolk, Virginia, where he worked for Weaver Fertilizer Company, serving as president from 1956 until his retirement in 2005. He is survived by a son and daughter.

Pleasant C. “P.C.” Shields ’39 1917 – 2016 Pleasant C. “P.C.” Shields died Sept. 25.

After graduating from Virginia Tech in 1939, he taught high school for two years. He joined the Army in 1941 and served as a member of the 5th Armored Division, earning the rank of chief warrant officer W-2. Shields later joined the Army Reserves, retiring in 1977 as chief warrant officer W-4. He was active in his community, serving on the parole board in several capacities and as a lay leader in his church and participating in fraternal and civic affairs. Several nieces and nephews survive Shields.

Harry L. Richardson Jr. ’39 1917 – 2016 Harry Leonard Richardson Jr. died Sept. 30.

Upon graduating from Virginia Tech in 1939, he was commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserve. Called to active duty at the outbreak of World War II, Richardson was sent to the Pacific Theater, where he fought in New Guinea and the Philippines. After the war, he left the military and began a 42-year career with Standard Oil. Richardson is survived by his wife of 71 years, Marjorie Pitts Richardson, and three daughters.

Forrest T. Tolson ’39 1917 – 2016 Forrest T. Tolson died Oct. 5. After graduating from Virginia Tech in 1939 with a degree in mechanical engineering, he worked for Mize Industrial.

Upon joining the Army Air Corps in 1941, Tolson served as liaison officer to Gen. George S. Patton, was shot down and injured in Africa, and went on to pilot 29 missions in the B-17. After leaving active duty, Tolson worked as an engineer for Calanese before becoming president of Fidelity Construction Company and starting Tolson Building Systems. In 1947, he married Catharine Armentrout, who preceded him in death in 2005. He is survived by a son and daughter.

Clarence M. “Mac” Mahanes ’49 1924 – 2016 Clarence Marshal “Mac” Mahanes died Dec. 8. A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, he graduated from Virginia Tech in 1949 with a degree in engineering. He was the lead clarinetist for the Corps of Cadets’ Southern Colonels. During World War II, he served at Wright Field, Ohio, and was responsible for propulsion modifications and improvements on fighter aircraft.

He later attended the Medical College of Virginia and received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery. He practiced dentistry in the Tidewater area of Virginia for more than 50 years. Mahanes is survived by three sons.

James W. Blair II ’50 1929 - 2016 James W. Blair II died July 15. While at Virginia Tech, he was a student athlete and member of the Corps of Cadets’ regimental band.

Blair served in the National Guard for six years and was a retired engineer from Remington Arms. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, two daughters, and a son.

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William T. Cook ’52 1930 – 2016 William T. Cook died Dec. 31. He was born in Roanoke, Virginia, and graduated from Virginia Tech in 1952 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Cook served in the Army during the Korean conflict at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he witnessed atomic bomb tests at White Sands, New Mexico. He later served as a captain in the Army Reserves. Cook worked for Western Electric (now Nokia) for 34 years. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Phyllis; two daughters; and two sons.

James T. Luck ’64 1941 – 2017 Dr. James T. Luck died Jan. 3. Luck attended Virginia Tech, receiving his undergraduate and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. He was a member

of the Corps of Cadets, the Corps’ regimental band, and Eta Kappa Nu, an electrical engineering honor society.

Luck worked for IBM in Roanoke, Virginia, before studying medicine at the University of Virginia. He began practicing medicine in Damascus in 1973 and served on several local and state boards. Luck is survived by his wife of 51 years, Rosalie Hylton; two sons; and two daughters.

William L. “Bill” Smith ’65 1942 – 2016 William L. “Bill” Smith of Clintwood, Virginia, died May 28. He was a graduate of Honaker High School and earned a degree in agriculture from Virginia Tech. Smith served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam and later taught agriculture at Irvington High School and Abingdon High School. Smith is survived by one son.

Zachary N. Strass ’08 1984 – 2016 Zachary N. Strass died March 7, 2016.

Born in Gainesville, Florida, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in civil engineering in 2008 and his master’s degree in civil engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2014. He was a licensed Professional Engineer, passing his PE exam in October 2015. Strass enlisted in the Virginia Army National Guard in 2004, then received his commission in May 2008.

Strass served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and separated from active duty in February 2016. Strass is survived by his parents, Heléne (Szemereta) Strass and Alan Strass, and two sisters.

LEST WE FORGET Robert E. Rosenfeld ’40, Portsmouth, Virginia, 4/11/16

Jack A. Richardson ’45, Parksley, Virginia, 11/10/16

Alfred J. Green ’41, Wilmington, Delaware, 9/25/16

Nathan Kurzrok ’46, Scottsdale, Arizona, 9/19/16

Ward O. Mathews ’42, Battle Creek, Michigan, 8/29/16

Barnard F. Jennings ’46, Fairfax, Virginia, 9/24/16

Thomas I. Martin, Jr. ’43, Culpeper, Virginia, 9/1/16

James G. White ’46, Glen Allen, Virginia, 11/10/16

Robert A. Zimmerman ’44, Cincinnati, Ohio, 9/5/16

Thomas D. Styles ’46, Locust Grove, Virginia, 11/26/16

Dewey L. Newman ’44, Blacksburg, Virginia, 9/26/16

Charles A. Burfoot ’47, Homer, Louisiana, 11/9/16

George D. Crosby ’44, Charlottesville, Virginia, 10/27/16

Cary F. Milliner ’47, Onley, Virginia, 11/10/16

Armistead W. Garrett ’45, Roe, Arkansas, 8/30/16

Alvah H. Eubank ’47, Savannah, Georgia, 12/5/16

Irving M. Appel ’45, Boca Raton, Florida, 10/16/16

Joe W. Phipps ’47, Independence, Virginia, 9/7/16

Burnell B. Williams ’45, Blairs, Virginia, 10/16/16

Frederick A. Overly ’48, San Antonio, Texas, 10/13/16

Robert W. Sagnette ’45, Roanoke, Virginia, 10/17/16

Albert L. Matthews ’48, Hacienda Heights, California, 8/2/16

Robert L. Manning ’45, Remsen, New York, 11/22/16

Algie L. Spencer ’48, Woolwine, Virginia, 8/18/16

46 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

John B. Watlington ’48, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 9/25/16

Rev. John F. Eberman ’56, Blacksburg, Virginia, 1/17/16

Frederick A. Overly ’48, San Antonio, Texas, 10/13/16

Edward D. Madison ’57, Burbank, California, 6/25/16

William P. Swartz III ’49, 8/11/16

Eugene M. Griffin ’57, New Braunfels, Texas, 9/11/16

Cecil R. Mullins ’49, Charlotte, North Carolina, 8/20/16

Robert D. Grisso ’57, Altoona, Alabama, 9/20/16

Clifford E. Wood ’49, Wingina, Virginia, 9/3/16

Compton R. Moses ’57, Henrico, Virginia, 10/14/16

James W. Lester ’49, Chelsea, Michigan, 11/20/16

Roy L. Wright ’57, Valrico, Florida, 11/24/16

Clarence A. Robins ’49, Johnstown, Colorado, 10/28/16

Robert H. Lewis ’58, Bena, Virginia, 1/1/16

John R. Budner ’50, Powhatan, Virginia, 9/1/16

Robert R. Adams ’58, Great Falls, Virginia, 2/25/16

William C. Bascom Sr. ’50, Charlottesville, Virginia, 9/18/16

Joseph L. Helms ’58, Alexandria, Virginia, 8/26/16

William T. Withers ’50, Lynchburg, Virginia, 9/29/16

Freddie J. Schmidt ’58, Carmel, Indiana, 11/13/16

William G. Pittard ’50, Buffalo Junction, Virginia, 10/9/16

James G. Anderson ’59, Winchester, Virginia, 9/17/16

Samuel P. Shaver ’51, Zephyrhills, Florida, 6/14/16

Lowell M. Gobble ’59, Vinton, Virginia, 9/3/16

William H. Martin, ’51, Culpeper, Virginia, 8/23/16

Dr. Robert R. Harrell III ’59, Suffolk, Virginia, 11/13/16

Charles W. Hickey ’51, Charlotte, North Carolina, 9/11/16

Joseph G. Heller Jr. ’59, Rockport, Texas, 1/7/16

Don M. Lemon ’51, Roanoke, Virginia, 9/23/16

Conrad M. Clingenpeel ’60, Lewiston, New York, 8/6/16

Phillip L. Payne ’51, 10/10/16

Dr. Gilbert P. Davis, Jr. ’60, Richmond, Virginia, 10/2/16

Clark A. Hodges ’51, Thomasville, North Carolina, 11/22/16

Richard A. Jacobs ’60, Scottsdale, Arizona, 9/28/16

Clarence V. Braswell ’52, Bristol, Tennessee, 3/3/16

Seymour R. Kotler ’60, Annapolis, Maryland, 11/23/16

Joseph C. McAlexander Jr. ’52, Plano, Texas, 10/3/16

John W. Waddill ’60, Chester, Virginia, 12/1/16

Henry G. Rouland ’52, Elkton, Florida, 11/2/16

William J. Lawson ’61, 10/20/16

R. Howard Ellis ’52, Decatur, Alabama, 11/7/16

Daniel J. DeYoung ’61, Jacksonville, Florida, 11/11/16

Edward R. McCarthy ’52, Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, 11/12/16

Dr. William B. Morrow ’61, Katy, Texas, 11/22/16

Robert W. Collins ’53, Jacksonville, Floria, 9/2/16

Douglas C. Arthur ’64, Strasburg, Virginia, 8/25/16

Lt. Col. Jerald E. Martin USAF (Ret) ’54, Columbia, South Carolina, 5/15/16

Alfred S. Wyllie III ’66, Apex, North Carolina, 9/11/16

Gerald D. Beasley Jr. ’54, Suffolk, Virginia, 8/2/16 Richard C. Windley ’54, Raleigh, North Carolina, 9/4/16 Harry M. Payne ’54, Winchester, Virginia, 11/30/16 Philip H. Mahone ’55, Springfield Oregon Terrell D. Moseley ’55, Lynchburg, Virginia, 10/8/16 Charles S. Pugh Jr. ’55, Richmond, Virginia, 12/2/16 Robert E. Spencer ’55, Blacksburg, Virginia, 12/2/16 Joseph W. Bunts Sr. ’56, Ruckersville, Virginia, 9/1/16 Roland H. Coles ’56, Roanoke, Virginia, 11/17/16

Richard G. Esleeck ’66, 10/15/16 James R. Shelton ’67, Atlanta, Georgia, 5/18/16 Gerald E. Carpenter ’67, Ridgeway, Virginia, 11/23/16 Edgar R. Savage ’67, Edenton, North Carolina, 11/5/16 Gordon A. Mapp ’68, Charlotte, North Carolina, 10/12/16 William Y. Roper III ’69, Bracey, Virginia, 8/25/16 John P. Baber ’69, Mechanicsville, Virginia, 11/10/16 Herman S. Muir III ’71, Portland, Oregon, 1/30/16 Chilton H. Shorter Jr. ’71, Palmyra, Virginia, 1/22/16

www.vtcc.vt.edu | CORPS REVIEW 47

Corps Reunion • Sept. 22-23, 2017 Virginia Tech vs. Old Dominion University

Come to Corps Reunion 2017 and Reunite with Old Buds and Classmates!

Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumni return to campus to celebrate our annual Corps Reunion! This is a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends who shared the cadet experience that forged in us the importance of values and character.

This year, registration opens on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. The Friday night Cadet Leadership Reception and Dinner at The Inn at Virginia Tech is a coat-and-tie affair where you can meet and hear from today’s cadet leadership.

Saturday will feature a reunion meal at The Inn at Virginia Tech (time TBD). This casual-dress event will include the opportunity to hear from Commandant of Cadets Maj. Gen. Randy Fullhart—who will present an update on facilities upgrades and continuing improvements to the leader development program—as well as an alumnus guest speaker.

Plan to participate in a special annual tradition, the alumni regiment march-on to Worsham Field at Lane Stadium before kickoff. Join your classmates for this unique experience, and rally to your unit guidons!** ** Please register online for Corps Reunion. The registration site should go live in late April. You can choose the specific events you want to participate in, as well as order Corps alumni hats and polo shirts to be worn during the march-on. Prices for all events and merchandise can be found on the registration site.

If you have any questions, please contact the VTCC Alumni office at 540-231-7431

Corps Reunion Registration Website www.alumni.vt.edu/reunion/vtcc/index.html

Cancellation:

- The last day to receive a refund for cancellation is two weeks prior to the event date. If you cancel your event registration, your accompanying request for game tickets will be canceled. Ticket refunds will be processed only if the canceled ticket can be resold. Individual hotel cancellation policies apply. Please see lodging information below.

Game Tickets (when applicable):

- Game tickets purchased as part of event registration are for registered event participants only. The cost of game tickets is TBD, and they are limited in quantity, available on a first-come, first-served basis, and a maximum of four game tickets per registration form. Game tickets will not be mailed. They will be available for pickup with a photo ID at event registration. Everyone who enters Lane Stadium must have a game ticket, including infants.

Lodging at the Inn at Virginia Tech (when applicable):

- Rooms are limited and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis with a two-night minimum stay. Room preferences are not guaranteed. Telephone reservations are not accepted at The Inn at Virginia Tech. Confirmation will be provided by the hotel. Please review this confirmation for accuracy of arrival and departure dates. Room cancellations must be made 30 days prior to event for full refund.

Confirmation:

- Confirmations detailing event registration will be sent prior to the event.

48 CORPS REVIEW | Spring 2017

Alumni in Service

Seven Corps alumni deployed on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower represent the Hokie Nation. From left are: Lt. Joseph “JoJo” Campbell ’06, Lt. Cmdr. Michael McInerey ’05, Lt. Cmdr. Ian “Bruce Banner” Hobbs ’06, Lt. John “Sinnamon” Sapliway ’12, Lt. Joshua “Sid” Dworkin ’11, Lt. Cmdr. James Young ’03, and Cmdr. Stacy “Stigs” Uttecht ’00.

Corps alumni forward deployed together aboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain in Manama, Bahrain, were, from left, Lt. Ryan Easton ‘08, Lt. Javan Rasnake ‘09, and Capt. Ben Grogan ’09 aboard the USS Sentry.

U.S. Army armor officer Capt. Matthew W. Schenaker ’11 deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield. He coordinates logistical support, equipment readiness, and assets movement for his unit’s deployment operations.

Virginia Tech alumni on board the USS America during the third sea trials for F-35B were, from left, Lt. Col. Dale “Sally” Fields ’95, David Parsons VT’87, Lt. Cmdr.

Jeffery Brill ’06, Lt. Cmdr. Paul Fischer ’99, Jake Piercy VT’00, Justin Marut ’14, Scott Buttrill VT’09, Matthew Schmidt VT’15, Branden Alvey ’08, Gabriella Spehn VT’14, Kariann Vander Pol VT’15, Joseph Neff VT’15, and Matthew Giewont VT’13.

Justin Marut ’14, at left, and Ryan Blankenship ’14 were aboard the USS George Washington during the third sea trials for the F-35C.

VTCC Alumni Inc.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROANOKE VA PERMIT NO. 78

VTCC Alumni Office (0213) 141 Lane Hall, Virginia Tech 280 Alumni Mall Blacksburg, VA 24061

VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY